686 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



General color bright rich rufous; central facial band especially 

 rich, and the light bands on each side only slightly paler than body 

 color; crown, cheeks, and sides of neck pale rufous; dark lateral 

 bands very strong and well defined, 1 to 1^ inches broad, nearly 

 black; light lateral bands sharply defined from deep color of middle 

 back, concolor with neck, cheeks, and crown ; dark pygal band little 

 developed; belly white; limbs rufous in front, whitish behind; tail 

 rufous basally, black terminally. Horns thick and strong, 292 mm. 

 in length along front curve; far apart basally, and diverging evenly 

 but slightly; curving backward for basal two-thirds, then slightly 

 upward ; about 10 rings, strongly developed in front. Length of head 

 and body, about 1,400 mm. (Thomas, 1894, pp. 468-469.) 



The type specimen was "purchased at a shop in Algiers" in 1877; 

 "in all probability it was brought from somewhere in the interior" 

 (Sclater and Thomas, 1898, vol. 3, p. 168) . 



The species doubtless inhabits the south of the Orano-Moroccan 

 border country. There are reports from Gruz and from the borders 

 of Tafilalet. It is a form that has disappeared or is in the process 

 of disappearing, like the Bubal Hartebeest. (Joleaud, 1929, pp. 

 447-448.) 



Lavauden (1930, pp. 327-332) gives the following account: 



A second specimen (skin and skull) was bought by P. Pallary in 

 Oran (about 1894?). Another was given to the Paris Museum by 

 M. Demaison. There is also a skull in the possession of F. Doumer- 

 gue at Oran. There must still exist in Algeria a number of skins, 

 prepared as rugs and unknown to naturalists. In 1925 the furriers 

 of Oran knew this species well, and distinguished it from G. cuvieri. 

 According to them, it is very rare, and a skin is seen only every three 

 or four years. The female is entirely unknown. The range is almost 

 certainly in the region of the Algerian-Moroccan boundary, and it is 

 very probably extremely restricted. It is considered an animal of 

 the brush or of the forest; thus it may have remained unknown to 

 the human inhabitants of the region. Most authors assign to it a 

 range along the southern part of the Algerian-Moroccan boundary. 

 But all the photographs, horns, etc., which have come from the 

 region of Figuig pertain to the dark form of G. dorcas of eastern 

 Morocco or to G. cuvieri. The habitat of the present species may be 

 farther north, in the very wild and little frequented forests situated 

 between Frenda and Telagg, on either side of the Saida, in the 

 central part of the Province of Oran. The dark color of the animal 

 indicates a forested habitat. Moreover, the forest appears to be the 

 best refuge for large animals that are much persecuted. 



Heim de Balsac (1936, pp. 88-89) has received information that 

 some small bands may perhaps still exist in the mountainous dis- 

 tricts on either side of the low valley of the Chelif, between Oran 

 and Algiers. 



