266 RECORDS OF BIG GAME 



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I 41 Oj o, /! o y : lo 111 ijid. 



, Skulls of Male and Female Beira. Shot by P. H. G. Powell-Cotton. 



BEIRA (Dorcotragus melanotis). 



In spite of its presenting a certain superficial resemblance to the 

 members of the oribi group and its allies, this peculiar little antelope 

 is considered to be best placed in the neighbourhood of the gazelles. 

 From all the members of the group in which the latter are included, 

 the beira is at once distinguished by the short and spike-like horns of 

 the bucks. Perhaps its most striking peculiarity is the great size of its 

 ears, which led its discoverer, Herr Menges, to describe it as a species 

 of klipspringer. Another noticeable feature is the large size of the 

 rounded hoofs. In colour, the upper parts and legs are pinkish fawn ; 

 a darker band defining the fawn from the white of the under parts, 

 which (the white) is continued down the inner surfaces of the limbs as 

 far as the knees and hocks. The head, from the ears to the nose, is 

 bright rufous. Height at shoulder about 23 inches. 



Viscount Edmond de Poncins writes that "they are good hill- 

 climbers, and keep on rocky ground. The general shape is slender, 

 legs are long, the head is kept erect, the ears are very big and broad, 

 shaped like the dik-dik's, eyes big and dark, nostrils black. 



" Colour a sort of grayish blue, a bit like what we call in French gorge 

 de pigeon, and exactly matching the colour of the ground, so, unless they 

 are on the move, it is difficult to distinguish them. Unlike a gazelle, its 

 tail is generally kept down. Horns resemble those of the klipspringer, 



