124 NATURAL HISTORY ESSAYS 



Tragelaphs classed as antelopes by most writers 

 differ markedly from the rest of the Bovidce in the 

 character of their horns, which, originally triangular 

 in section, have in the course of evolution assumed a 

 spiral curvature. The curious anoa of Celebes half 

 ox, half antelope has its horns simple and almost 

 triangular; but those of the nilgai show commencing 

 evolution by the half turn into which they are twisted. 

 Passing on to the African tragelaphs, one finds a well- 

 developed twist in the horns of the eland and 

 harnessed antelopes, whilst the weapons of the 

 greater and lesser kudu are handsome indeed in 

 their open, graceful spiral. Per contra, the horns of 

 typical antelopes sable, roan, oryx show either 

 transverse annulations, or else rings of growth, by 

 which the gradual development may be traced from 

 youth to age ; but nilgai and eland, harnessed 

 antelope and kudu do not exhibit such markings. 



The occurrence of a tragelaph like the nilgai in 

 India the only representative of a race otherwise 

 African reminds one of the curious African element 

 in the fauna of Asia ; thus groups now entirely 

 confined to the Dark Continent are found as 

 fossils in the Pliocene strata of the Himalayas. 

 Chimpanzees and huge baboons once ranged the 

 the forests of Northern India, from which they are 

 now entirely absent. The Chinese giraffe, as graceful 

 if not quite so tall as its descendant of Uganda, once 

 paced the woods of the Pliocene East. Two species 



