245 



ANTILOPEJE. 



ANTILOPE/E. 



legs are longer and smaller in proportion to its bulk than in any other 

 species ; its body is compact and well made ; its head small, pointed, 

 and ending in a well-formed naked muzzle, and its tail reduced to a 

 mere tubercle, scarcely perceptible among the long hair of the croup 

 and buttocks. The whole length, from the muzzle to the root of the 

 tail, is about 3 feet 4 or 5 inches ; that of the head, from the muzzle 

 to the base of the horns, 4 inches, and from the same point to the 

 root of the ear 6 inches, the tail being 1^ inch long, and the horns 



4 inches. The height at the shoulder is 1 foot 7 inches, and at the 

 croup 1 foot 9 inches. The colouring of this species is altogether 

 peculiar, and alone sufficient to distinguish it from all other ruminants. 

 In general, it is a reddish fawn-colour on the upper parts of the body ; 

 but this seems to be glazed or as it were overlaid on the shoulders, 

 back, sides, and hips, with a light dun or silvery-brown hue, arising 

 from- the hairs in these situations being tipped with that colour; the 

 nose and legs are dark brown, the breast, belly, and interior of the 

 fore arms and thighs white ; the hair of the forehead is long and of a 

 deep red colour, and a remarkable black line passes from the root of 

 each horn backwards, uniting between the ears, and forming an obtuse 

 angle equally as conspicuous in the hornless females as in the horned 

 males, and affording an excellent criterion by which to distinguish 

 the species. The horns of the male are small and round, furnished 

 at the roots with a few faintly marked wrinkles ; but smooth aud 

 polished throughout the greater part of their length, and ending in 

 extremely sharp points, almost imperceptibly bending forwards. The 

 ears are extremely large for the size of the animal, being nearly half 

 aa long again as the horns, and broad in proportion. But perhaps the 

 most remarkable character of the species, and certainly that which 

 most definitely distinguishes it from all the other ruminants with 

 which it is at all likely to be confounded, though it has hitherto 

 escaped the notice of observers, is the total absence of spurious hoofs, 

 both on the fore and hind feet, a character which exists also in the 

 Prong-Buck, and which, as far as we are aware, no other ruminating 

 animals of the hollow-horned family possess. 



The Stein-Boc resides in pairs on the stony plains and mountain 

 valleys of South Africa, not however frequenting very elevated or 

 rocky localities, as its colonial name of Stein-Boc, or Stone-Buck, would 

 seem to imply. On the contrary, it prefers the dry open flats, covered 

 here and there, it is true, with large rocks and boulder stones, but 

 likewise interspersed with clumps of stunted bushes and underwood, 

 which furnish it with cover. This is the general character of the 

 South African plains hi the neighbourhood of Cape Town, as well as 

 of the gorges of the moderate hills and mountains, and it is in such 

 situations that the Stein-Boc is most commonly found. This animal 

 is, moreover, remarkably shy and timid, runs with extraordinary 

 swiftness, and when pursued will frequently bound over a space of 

 12 or 15 feet at a single leap. When closely pressed, and without any 

 further means or power of escape, it will hide its head in the first 

 hole or corner it happens to meet with, and thus patiently resign itself 

 to its fate. Though it cannot be called a rare animal at the Cape, it 

 is nowhere particularly common, being much hunted on account of 

 the delicacy of its flesh, which furnishes excellent venison, and great 

 numbers of the young being destroyed by eagles and other birds of 

 prey. Colonel Smith has described the young of the Stein-Boc aa a 

 (Utlrent species, by the name of A. rufetcent ; and the A. pallida, or 

 A. pediotragut, of Afzelius, appears to differ in no respect from the 

 adult of the present animal, the really distinctive characters of which 

 have been hitherto very imperfectly reported. 



21. C. mdanola (Antilope metanotit, Lichtensteiu), the Grys-Boc 

 is a species closely allied to the Stein-Boc, but rather lower on the 

 legs and more heavily made. The whole length of the body is nearly 

 3 feet, that of the head, from the muzzle to between the ears, 

 6 inches ; the height at the shoulder is 1 foot 5J inches, and at the 

 croup 1' foot 7J inches ; the horns are 2J inches long, and the ears 



5 inches. The head, as in the Stein-Boc, contracts suddenly before 

 the eyes, and ends in a pointed muzzle ; the horns are situated imme- 

 diately above the orbits, straight, upright, pointed, and shining, with 

 two or three small annuli at the roots ; the ears are long, wide, and 

 open ; and the tail, almost tuberculous, is concealed among the long 

 hair which panes backwards over the hips. The hair of the body 

 is universally long, particularly on the hind quarters ; on the head 

 and extremities it is, on the contrary, remarkably short. All the 

 upper parts are of a deep crimson red colour, thinly but regularly 

 intermixed with long coarse hairs of the purest white, giving the 

 whole animal a hoary appearance, expressed by its colonial name of 

 Grys-Boc, or Gray-Buck, and forming altogether a character not easily 

 mistaken. The inferior parts are uniform light sandy-brown or red, 

 the head and extremities fawn-colour; the muzzle, the openings of 

 the lachrymal sinuses, and an obscure circle about the eyes, as well as 

 a mark upon the occiput of some specimens, are black, as are likewise 

 the backs of the ears, which are nearly naked, with a few very short 

 gray hairs thinly scattered over them. 



The habits of the Grys-Boc are in most respects similar to those of 

 the Stein-Boc. It lives in pairs upon the plains, never unites into 

 troops or flocks, and conceals itself in clumps of underwood, whence 

 it in not easily driven, lying close like a hare in her form, and seldom 

 moving till almost trodden on. It is common in most parts of the 

 colony at the Cape, and being less swift than the Stein-Boc is more 



easily captured. Its venison is much esteemed, though, like the 

 generality of antelopes, destitute of fat. 

 Scopophoi'us 



Has the muffle small and bald ; tear-bag (crumen) transverse ; the 

 horns subulate, elongate, acute, and slightly recurved at the tips ; the 

 knees largely tufted ; the inguinal pores distinct and bearded ; the ears 

 of moderate size, with a naked spot on the outside of their base ; the 

 hoofs triangular, and false hoofs distinct. 



22. & Oitrebi (Antilope scoparia, Schreber), the Our'ebi, called 

 Bleek-Boc, or Pale-Buck, by the Dutch colonists at the Cape, according 

 to Professor Lichtenstein, is a much smaller species than the Nyl- 

 Ghau, and differs from all the other species of the present section by 

 the large brushes which, in common with many other antelopes, it 

 has upon the upper end of the canons, immediately below the knees, 

 and from which it was called by Schreber A. scoparia. It measures 

 3 feet 8 inches in length from the muzzle to the root of the tail ; the 

 length of the latter is 3^ inches, that of the head is 7^ inches from the 

 muzzle to the root of the horn ; of the horns themselves 5| inches ; 

 and of the ears 3| inches. The height at the shoulder is 1 foot 



10 inches, at the croup nearly 2 feet, and the size of the animal, as 

 well as its general form and proportions, are nearly those of the 

 Roebuck, only that the head is longer and more slender. The horns 

 are awl-shaped, sharp, slender, nearly straight, and bending almost 

 imperceptibly to the front ; they are surrounded at the base with a 

 few obscure wrinkles, succeeded by five or six well-defined rings, but 

 are smooth and black throughout the greater part of their length, and 

 end in very sharp points. The general colour of the upper parts is a 

 uniformly pale yellowish-brown, darker in some individuals than in 

 others ; all the under parts, as well as the chin, lips, and a longitudinal 

 streak over the eyes in the form of eyebrows, are white, and this 

 colour likewise spreads over the posterior surface of the hips. The 

 tail is covered with long bushy hair of a jet black colour, forming a 

 marked and prominent contrast with the white of the buttocks ; the 

 ears are edged with a narrow border of dark brown, and immediately 

 beneath their opening at the root there is a remarkable bald or naked 

 spot of an oval form on each side of the head. 



The Ourebi inhabits the open plains of South Africa, and without 

 being positively gregarious, is fond of the society of its own species. 

 It is found chiefly in the eastern districts of the Cape Colony towards 

 Kaffraria ; and its flesh, though dry and destitute of fat, is esteemed 

 one of the best vensions of the country. Great numbers of these 

 animals are found on the plains about Zwartkops Bay. When feeding 

 they straggle confusedly over the plain, and appear to be in company 

 rather accidentally than by intention ; when alarmed also they do 

 not fly together, but each runs of}' by itself in whatever direction it 

 thinks most secure from danger for the moment. 



23. S. montanui (Antilope -Montana, Ruppell), the Gibari, is very 

 like the former, but is of a gray-brown colour, and the temporal spot 

 much larger, deeper, more distinct and bald, both when alive and in 

 the skin. It was found in Abyssinia by Ruppell, and the late Earl of 

 Derby received a specimen from Gambia. 



Oreotrayus 



Has the muffle large ; the crumen arched and transverse ; the horns 

 subulate, elongated ; the hoofs squarish, high, compressed, much con- 

 tracted, concave beneath ; the false hoofs large, blunt ; the crown of 

 the head smooth ; the tail very short ; the hair thick, goat-like, 

 spread out. The female is hornless, and has two teats. 



24. 0. Saltatrix (Antilope Oreotragus, Porster), the Kainsi or 

 Klippspringer, is an Antelope which inhabits the most barren and 

 inaccessible mountains of the Cape, and appears to supply in South 

 Africa the place of the Chamois and Ibex. The entire length of this 

 animal, from the muzzle to the root of the tail, is 3 feet 2 inches, its 

 height 21 inches at the shoulder, and about an inch more at the 

 croup ; the horns are 3^ inches long, the ears l\ inches, and the tail 3 

 inches. The head is short and small, compressed on the sides, and sud- 

 denly contracted immediately in front of the orbits, ending in a small, 

 round, naked, black muzzle ; the lachrymal sinuses open by a 

 moderately-sized circular aperture ; the horns of the male are per- 

 fectly straight and smooth throughout the greater part of their 

 length, having three or four small but distinct annuli surrounding 

 their roots ; the ears are large, open, and rounded at the points ; the 

 eyes large and dark ; and the tail appearing externally only by a 

 brush of hair which clothes it. There are neither inguinal pores nor 

 knee-brushes, but in place of the latter the knees of some specimens 

 exhibit a naked callous patch, probably occasioned by rubbing against 

 the rocks. The general colour of the animal on all the upper parts 

 of the body is a lively and pleasing mixture of yellow and green,, 

 resulting from each hair being individually surrounded by alternate- 

 rings of these two colours ; the under parts of the body are light 

 sandy-red, tinged with yellow : the interior of the ears is filled with 

 long white hair, a narrow black border surrounds their edges, and the 

 eyes are encircled by the same colour. The hair of the body is long, 

 padded, and stands perpendicularly out from the hide ; that of the 

 head and extremities is shorter, and lies in the usual direction ; in 

 quality the latter also resembles the hair of common animals, but the 

 texture of the hair which covers all the upper surface of the body and 

 neck is altogether peculiar, being similar to that of the Prong-Buck 

 already described. It is round and hollow internally, and so fragile 



