RcTMINANTIA CAVICORNIA ANTILOCAPRA. 665 



ANTILOCAPRA, Ord. 



Jlntilocapra, ORD, Journal de Physique, LXXXVII, 1818, 149. 



J. E. GRAY. Pr. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1850, 137. 



AUD. & BACH. N. Am. Quad. II, 1851, 193. 

 Dicranoceros, HAM. SMITH, Griff. Cuv. V, 1827, 312. 



Horns erect ; the base compressed, with a flattened process in front, the end conical, recurved. Nose ovine, entirely hairy at 

 the end except a narrow central line. Tail very short. No false hoofs behind the large ones. 



I have taken the above diagnosis from J. E. Gray, altering it, however, in respect to the end 

 of the nose. This is described by him as hairy, without any muffle, as in the sheep, whereas, 

 there is a narrow strip of naked skin extending from beneath the nostrils to the naked edge of 

 the upper lip. In addition to the characters just stated, Dr. Gray mentions, among other 

 peculiarities, that the fur is very close, the hair stiff, coarse, flattened and wavy ; the tear bag and 

 inguinal pores wanting ; legs rather slenderer than in its allies, (Nemorhedus, Capricornis, Aplo- 

 cerus, and Rupicapra, called goat-antelopes.) Skull without any sub-orbital depression, but with a 

 lengthened fissure. Grinders without supplemental lobes ; cutting teeth equal sized and shelving. 



The horns of the American antelope are very peculiar in the entire group, on account of the 

 great compression of the basal portion of the horn with the prominent angular flattened process 

 on its anterior edge. The absence of the small false hoofs at the back part of the feet, just 

 above the regular hoofs, is also a very striking character. According to Prince Maximilian, 

 (Wagner, Suppl. Schreber, V, 1855, 461,) a trace of one (never two together) of these false 

 hoofs is sometimes seen in the fore feet. I have never detected any, however, in the skins 

 which have fallen under my inspection. 



According to Dr. Gray, the nearest ally to our American antelope is the European chamois 

 (Capella rupicapra, or perhaps, rather Rupicapra tragus). 



The generic name of Mazama, as established by Rafinesque in the American Monthly 

 Magazine, II, 1817, 44, has been quoted by some authors for the American antelope as well as 

 for the mountain goat and the smaller deer. An examination of his diagnosis will show very 

 satisfactorily that the name cannot be used at all, on account of its embracing too many incon 

 gruous elements, as follows : 



MAZAMA. Eight front teeth in the lower jaw, none in the upper, no canine teeth, grinders truncated ; head with solid, simple, 

 straight, round, and permanent horns, uncovered by a skin ; neck and legs not very long, cloven hoof. Tail short. Obs. This 

 genus differs from Cervus by having simple permanent horns, from the genus Giraffa by not having a skin over the horns, nor a 

 long neck, and from the genus Gazella by its horns not being hollow. It belongs to the family Ruminalia, sub-family Stertoceria, 

 next to the genus G'vrnffa. It appears to be peculiar to America, and contains many species which had been taken for deer, 

 sheep, antelopes, &c. 



Mazama tema. Raf. Yellow brown above, white beneath. Horns cylindrical, straight, and smooth. This is the Temamazame 

 of Mexico. 



Mazama dorsata. Raf. Entirely white and woolly, a mane along the neck and back ; horns conical, subulate, acute, slightly 

 curved backwards, base rough. Obs. This animal has been called Ovis montana by Ord, but the genus Ovis, or rather Jlries, 

 has hollow and flat horns, &c. 



Mazama sericea. Raf. White with long silky hairs, no mane, &c. This is the Rupicapra americana of Blainville, but he has 

 not ascertained the horns to be hollow. 



Were the genus Mazama less decided in its expressions, it might be taken for either the 

 antelope or the mountain goat, (better the latter,) but when we are positively assured that it 

 differs from the antelopes in having solid horns, and from the deer, merely in t he horns being 

 84 L 



