ANTILOPK.K 



ANTM.ii, 



limb*; null boob; lu>rt or moderate tail, covered with elongated 

 hain at the Uue; lyrate or conical bonus placed over the eyebrows. 



i n* Ctrrmt Amlriopa approaching the deer in character. They 

 hare rather a heavy Urge body; strong dander linilw; a long tail, 

 cylindrical at the base, with the hair longer at the end, often 

 forming a cotn|>rea*ed ridges. The muffle u like that of the Cervine 

 Ruminants. 



3. Tkt l^ai-lUt Anltfoptt, which hare a heavy body; rtrong legi; 

 Urge hoof* and falne boob; very abort tail, flat and hairy above; 

 recurved conical boms. 



1. True A nttlopa. 

 Saiga. 



The horn* are short , strong, lyrato, annulated, and of a white colour ; 

 the none is compressed, very high, rounded, the nontrils very close 

 together; the crumen distinct; the fur soft; the skull has the nose- 

 opening very large, and extended back over the eyes. 



1. .taiga Tnrlartta (AntUope Coliu, H. Smith), the Saiga and Colus, 

 is the only species of True Antelope which inhabits any part of Kuropc. 

 The sise of the Saiga U about equal to that of the fallow deer, the 

 length being four feet; but the form of the body more nearly 

 resembles that of the sheep, being round and heavy, with a large 

 head and short slender limbs, and the whole proportions of the animal 

 want the usual grace and elegance which commonly characterise the 

 antelope tribes. The nose is large, swollen, and cartilaginous, like 

 that of the elk ; it is marked above by deep transverse furrows or 

 wrinkles, and, from its great size and protuberance, compels the 

 animal to go backwards whilst feeding. The nostrils are large and 

 open ; the ears of a moderate size ; the tail from three to four inches in 

 length ; and the lachrymal sinuses much smaller than in the Indian 

 Antelope. The hair is uniformly long and flowing over the whole 

 body, of a grayish yellow colour in summer, and grayish white in 

 winter on the upper parts, and white beneath at all seasons; the 

 knees are furnished with small brushes. The horns of the male are 

 longer than the head, they are semi-transparent and of a light yellow 

 colour, which causes them to be much sought after by the Russians 

 and Chinese for the purpose of making combs, lanterns, and other 

 articles of domestic economy ; their form is intermediate between that 

 of the spiral-horned and lyrated groups, being distinctly twisted upon 

 their axis, though without exhibiting the complete spiral threads 

 which characterise the horns of the Indian Antelope. 



The Saiga is mentioned by Strabo (vii., 312. ed. Casaub.) under 

 the name of col at (mJAor). The Polish name of the animal, f*ulat, 



appears to bear some resemblance to the name in Strabo. The Tartars 

 call it Aliat and the Turks A tint, which come so near to the Hebrew 

 vrordAkto, translated 'wild goat' in our English version of the .Scrip- 

 tures, that we cannot help suspecting that the sacred writers alluded 

 to this animal. In autumn the Saigas unite into large flocks, com- 

 posed sometimes of many thousand individuals, and migrate southward 

 in search of a milder climate and more abundant pasturage ; they 

 return northward in small families about the commencement or middle 

 of spring, and generally keep about the vicinity of lakes and rivers, 

 as they drink a great deal, and, as we are credibly assured, by sucking 

 the water through their large open nostrils. This last fact is also 

 stated by Strabo. They like to feed upon acrid, saline, and aromatic 

 plants, and grow very fat during the summer season ; but their flesh 

 acquires a disagreeable taste from the nature of their food, and must 

 be allowed to cool after cooking before it is fit to be eaten. The 

 females are gravid about six months, from the end of November to 

 the end of May ; they drop their kids soon after they return north- 

 ward in the spring, and commonly produce one, rarely two, at a birth. 

 Tli. v inhabit the open steppes and deserts from the Danube to the 

 Irtish eastward, and as far north as 54 of X. latitude; and are 

 found in Poland, Moldavia, about the Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea, 

 in Siberia, and in Northern Persia. Their eye-eight is said to be 

 defective from the reflection of the dry arid plains upon which they 

 mostly reside ; and, though amazingly swift for a short distance, they 

 are soon exhausted, and easily run down. They are hunted principally 

 for the sake of their horns and skins, the hitter of which, particularly 

 those of the kids, are much valued for the manufacture of gloves. 

 The hunter* must always take care to approach them against the 

 win. I, as their sense of smell is remarkably acute. With all these 

 precautions it is often impossible to get within shot of these animals, 

 ns, like many other gregarious species of antelope, they take care, 

 whilst feeding or reposing, to place sentinels in different directions 

 1 their encampment to warn them of the approach of danger. 

 Pantholopt. 



The horns are elongate, lyrate ; the nose (( the males?) has 

 dilated punch "ii each aide; the crumen is distinct; the hair close, 

 erect, and spreading ; the nose-opening in the skull is large. 



2. Panllalopt Jfodgtmii (Antitope Ilodgioni, Abel), the Chim, U 

 believed to be the Unicorn of the lihotias, and supposed by < '.'.!,. n. I 

 Smith to be the animal which .Kuan describes under the name of 

 Krmiu, (see also Homer, 'Iliad,' x. 361.) an opinion founded upon 

 very slight and not easily tenable grounds. The whole length of thin 

 nn in ml, from the muzzle to the root of the tail, is about 6 feet, it* 

 height 3 feet ; the tail is 8 inches long ; the head, from the nose to 

 the root of the horns, 9 inches; the ears 4 inches, and the In. HI* 

 measured along the curves, upwards of 2 feet. The horns grow upright 



from the skull, are strongly compressed on the sides, bunt slightly 

 backwards at first, and afterwards point gradually forwards, thus 

 assuming a lyrate form, but less stongly marked than in the c. 

 gazelle; they are surrounded, to within ; inchc* of the point*, with 

 from IS tn '20 annul!, forming prominent knobs in front, I ut more, 

 obscure on the sides and rear ; the last 6 inches are smooth and 

 round, and the points rather attenuated. The legs are long and 

 -'. i. .|.T : but the symmetry of the head is destroyed by two Urge 

 fleshy tumours about half the size of a hen's egg, which grow close to 

 the outer margins of the nostrils, as well as by a profusion of bristly 

 hair which surrounds the mouth and nose. The body is furnished 

 with two different kinds of hair, a long external coat of the usual 

 quality, and a short interior one of fine close wool The prevalent 

 colour of the Utter is uniform grayish blue, and the outer coat U 

 likewise of the same colour at the base, but it i.- tii.pc.l with reddish 

 fawn, and thus gives the whole of the tipper ports a tawny hue, 

 through which the lower tinge is but faintly visible. The belly and 

 interior of the limbs are white, the nose and face black, and a dark 

 brown band passes down the front of each leg. 



The Chiru, according to the information obtained by Mr. Hodgson, 

 inhabits the elevated plains of Tibet, but never approaches the 

 mountains, and is altogether unknown on the Indian side of the great 

 Himalayan chain. It is gregarious, residing in herds of many 

 hundreds on the open plains, extremely shy and dirticult to approach, 

 posting sentinels in all directions where the herd feeds or reposes, and 

 flying with astonishing velocity on the first alarm or intimation of 

 danger. When brought to bay, however, the males defend themselves 

 with courage, and in confinement are sometimes mischievous, and 

 should be always approached with a considerable degree of caution. 

 They are very jealous and pugnacious, and in their contest.-; 

 break off one of their long horns hence the belief in their being 

 Unicorns. Like most other Ruminants, they are extremely f.md of 

 salt, and during the summer months unite in large herds to visit the 

 beds of this mineral, which abound throughout Tibet, advancing 

 uii.l.T the guidance of on experienced leader, and as usual posting 

 .sentinels to prevent surprise. 



Procapra. 



The horns are lyrate, strong, and bUck ; the tail is tapering ; the 

 nose simple, as in the sheep ; the muffle and crumen absent ; the feet 

 with small feet-pits; the post-corneal sinus large; no inguinal pores; 

 the hair elongated, especially above the head and neck ; the knees not 

 tufted ; the females are hornless ; the teats two ; the male hag ratlicr 

 a large nose-hole ; no suborbital pits, but very large slits ; the inter- 

 maxillary bones short 



8. J>rr<ij,r<i i/utluroia (Anlilope tfutlurota, Pallas), the Uzeren, the 

 Hoang Vang, Whang Yang, or Yellow Goat of the Chinese, is nearly 

 44 feet in length, and 2 feet 6 inches high at the shoulder ; the body 

 also is Urge and corpulent, and the legs shorter than is common to the 

 Antelopes in general ; the horns are black, lyrated, and marked to within 

 a short distance of their points with prominent transverse rings ; the 

 suborbital sinuses are small ; the larynx large and salient, forming, 

 particularly in the old bucks, a prominent lump on the throat ; upon 

 the prepuce of the same sex there is likewise situated a bag about the 

 size of a hen's egg, which contains a waxy substance similar to that 

 produced in the analogous organ of the musk animal, but without any 

 kind of odour ; the tail is short, and the knees furnished with small 

 bunches of hair, but scarcely sufficiently long and distinct to im-nt 

 the name of brushes ; the summer coat is of a grayish fawn-colour 

 above, and white beneath ; that of winter almost entirely whit< . 

 tinged but slightly with a grayish yellow Rhode on the back and ,-i.lr-. 

 The females resemble the males in colour, but are rather of smaller 

 size, and without horns ; they want the sac on the abdomen, and have 



tv. ., t, ,,'-. 



The Dzerens inhabit the dry arid deserts of Central Asia, Tibet, 

 China, ami Southern Siberia, particularly the great desert of (Jol.i; 

 and prefer the most sandy and stony plains, feeding UJHIII such 

 herbage as these localities supply, and avoiding water, to which they 

 appear to entertain a marked aversion. They are remarkably swift, 

 take prodigious leaps, and when frightened will occasionally pans over 

 20 or 25 feet at a single bound. In spring and summer they Ion 

 families which live apart from one another, but in the beginning of 

 winter they unite into large flocks, always uinlrr the j;uidam 

 experienced old buck. They never run, even when pursued, in a C": 

 crowd, but I'.. riu single files, and follow closely in the footsteps of their 

 leader. They rarely emit any voice. When taken they are easily tamed, 

 and appear to have rather a predilection for the domestic state. 

 mixing with flocks of sheep, and approaching human habitations during 

 the severity of the winter season. Their flesh is tender ami well tasted, 

 and they are a favourite object of chase with the Moguls ami Tartars. 

 The gestation of the females continues from Dcccinl>cr till the mi. l.lle 

 of June, and they produce but a single kid nt a birth, which grows 

 slowly, and is long in arriving at maturity. 1 luring the first year the 

 young males have neither horns nor any appearance of the pro 

 tiiberanco on the throat from which the specific name of ijuthtrraa is 

 derived ; but these organs are gradually more and more de\ . I. .p.-.l in 

 proportion as the animal advances in age, till at last, in very ol.l 

 animals, the laryngal protuberance attains the ilin,. ..-i-n-. ..(' .', 

 in length by 3 inches in breadth, and assume* tli .ippenrance of a 



