252 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



fhoto by the Duchess of Btdford] 



ROAN ANTELOPE 



In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry 



harm 



counted between seventy and 

 eighty together. However large 

 a herd of sable antelopes may 

 be, it is very exceptional to find 

 with it more than one fully 

 adult male, from which fact I 

 should judge that these animals 

 of a very jealous and 



are 



pugnacious disposition. When 

 wounded and brought to bay by 

 dogs, a sable antelope defends 

 itself with the utmost fury, using 

 its long scimitar-shaped horns 

 with most wonderful quick- 

 ness and dexterity. If badly 

 wounded it will lie down, other- 

 wise it fights standing. Keeping 

 its face to some of its foes, with 

 a sideways twist of its head 

 it will transfix and throw into 

 the air any dog which attempts 

 to attack it from behind. I 

 have seen a wounded sable 

 antelope, when lying down, 

 drive one of its horns clean 

 through a large dog deep into 

 its own haunch, and I have 



had four valuable hounds 

 killed and four others 

 grievously wounded by one 

 of these animals in less than 

 a minute. I once knew a na- 

 tive hunter who was stabbed 

 through the kidneys and 

 killed byasable antelope cow. 

 The nearest allies of the 

 sable and roan antelopes are 

 the various species of the 

 genus Oryx. In this group 

 are included the WHITE 

 ORYX, which inhabits the des- 

 ert regions of the interior of 

 Northern Africa from Don- 

 gola to Senegal ; the BEATRIX 

 ORYX of Southern Arabia; 

 the GEMSBUCK of South- 

 western Africa; the BEISA, 

 which is found in North-east 

 Africa from Suakim south- 

 wards to the river Tana ; and 

 the TUFTED BEISA, which is 



Photo by Ntrman B Smith, Esq.] 



MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE 



This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind 



