ANTELOPES. 285 



Kordofan, less common in the Central-Western Sudan, and also occurring in parts 

 of Nubia. 



In the Pliocene deposits of various parts of Europe, there occur 

 remains of antelopes closely allied to the oryx, some of which have 

 been generically separated under the name of Palceoreas, and are said to show- 

 signs of affinity with the sable antelope and its kindred. 



The Sable Antelope and Roan Antelope. 



Genus Hippotragus. 



The sable and roan antelopes, together with some allied species, constitute an 



exclusively African genus nearly allied to the oryx. They are distinguished by 



the stout horns, which are ringed nearly to their tips, rising vertically from 



a ridge on the skull immediately over the eyes at an obtuse angle to the plane 



of the lower part of the face, and then curving in a bold sweep backwards. The 



neck is clothed with a distinct, erect, and often-recurving mane ; the tail is rather 



short and distinctly tufted ; and the ears are enormous. The horns of the females 



are shorter than those of the males. 



The roan or equine antelope (Hippotragus equinus) — the bastard 

 Roan Antelope. J, . •,. . . 



gemsbok of the Boers — is represented in the right-hand figure of 



our illustration on next page, and is the largest and one of the best-known repre- 

 sentatives of the genus, standing rather over 4| feet at the withers. There is 

 considerable individual variation in colour, some specimens, according to Mr. Selous, 

 being of a strawberry roan, others of a deep dark grey or brown, and others again 

 so light in colour as to appear almost white at a distance. The under-parts are 

 but little lighter than the body, while the head and jaw have dark brown markings. 

 The latter markings are characterised by the white streak in front of the eye 

 being separated by a dark band from the white of the muzzle. The ears are very 

 large, and the mane small and erect. The horns of the bull seldom exceed 

 36 inches in length, measured along the curve, but specimens measuring 33 and 

 42 inches have been recorded. This species has a large range in central South 

 Africa, and has also been recorded from Senegal. Mr. Selous states that it is 

 nowhere numerous, and it is seldom that as many as twenty are seen together. 



The blaubok (H. leucopltcaus) was a smaller but nearly-allied 



species from the Cape, which now appears to be extinct. It derived its 



Dutch name from the bluish hue of the hairs, and its head was uniformly coloured. 



Perhaps the handsomest member of the genus is the sable 

 ' antelope (H. niger), represented in the left-hand figure of our 

 illustration. This species is rather smaller than the roan antelope, but has much 

 longer horns, smaller ears, and a longer and more abundant mane, which is partly 

 pendent. With the exception of portions of the face, buttocks, and the under- 

 parts, the fur is entirely of a deep glossy black ; the contrast formed by the white 

 of the under-parts being very striking ; the markings on the face differ from those 

 of the roan antelope in that the white streak in front of the eyes is continued 

 to join the white of the muzzle, and is separated by a dark streak from that of 



