GAZELLE 



2410 



GECKO 



the Mediterranean Sea. It is mentioned in 

 the Bible as the scene of several of Samson's 

 exploits. He carried away the gates of the 

 city, and destroyed his enemies by pulling 

 down the temple (see Judges XVI) . The Philis- 

 tines captured the city from the Egyptians 

 and made it their chief stronghold. It was 

 taken by Alexander the Great and later be- 

 came an important Greek city. Now called 

 Ghazzeh, it is an important commercial center 

 with extensive manufactures of pottery and a 

 large trade with Arabia, Persia and Egypt, 

 carried over caravan routes. See SAMSON. 



GAZELLE, gazel', a small, slender -form of 

 antelope to whose beauty, grace and gentle- 

 ness frequent allusions are found in Oriental 

 poetry. There are about twenty-three species 

 confined to the north side of the Atlas Moun- 



THE GAZELLE 



tains, Egypt, Abyssinia, Syria, Arabia and 

 South Persia. Some inhabit mountain ranges, 

 others sandy plains. The common light-brown 

 gazelle of rocky and desert lands, sometimes 

 called ariel, or dorcas, is easily tamed and is a 

 favorite pet of wandering Arabs, the name 

 gazelle originating from an Arabian word mean- 

 ing to be affectionate. 



Gazelles in general are animals with large, 

 soft and lustrous black eyes and round, black 

 horns, some ringed, others plain, and found on 

 both sexes; the ears are long, narrow and 

 pointed; the tail is short, and the animal has 

 smooth, short hair. There is a tuft of hair 

 on the knees of some species. A common 

 species has a light fawn-colored back, deepen- 

 ing into dark b.rown in a wide band which edges 

 the flanks and forms a line between the upper 

 parts of the body and the pure white abdomen. 

 Gazelles are very fleet-footed and cannot be 



hunted by dogs. Falcons are often used for 

 that purpose, or enclosures are made near 

 their drinking places. 



These attractive little animals feed on vege- 

 tation. A Sahara species, Loder's gazelle, is 

 said to feed on berries and leaves and never 

 to drink. Grant's gazelle, which stands about 

 thirty-four inches high at the shoulder, has 

 longer horns than any other species; the or- 

 dinary length is about ten inches, but the 

 horns of the male Grant's gazelle reach a 

 length of thirty inches. Another species of 

 gazelle is the light chestnut-colored Indian 

 chinkara, or ravine deer, of Asiatic plains. See 

 ANTELOPE. 



GEARING, geer'ing, a general term descrip- 

 tive of mechanical appliances by means of 

 which motion and power are communicated 

 from one part of a machine to another. There 

 are numerous forms of gear, the most common 

 being cog wheels, endless belts, screws, or 

 worm gear, friction wheels and eccentrics. 

 Gear may be adapted to increase speed in the 

 machinery to which the power is transmitted, 

 or to give slower motion; these are known as 

 multiplying and retarding gear, respectively. 

 In spur gearing the teeth or cogs are arranged 

 at regular intervals and with even depth round 

 the surface of the wheel. Beveled gearing is 

 made with the teeth running vertically on a 

 wheel shaped like the base of a cone, and is 

 used when shafts are at right angles to each 

 other. Worm gear operates on the principle of 

 the endless screw. When the gearing between 

 two parts of the machinery is out of order, 

 or purposely disconnected, the machine is said 

 to be out of gear. It is in gear when connec- 

 tion is established. See SCREW, subhead End- 

 less Screw; also, AUTOMOBILE, page 516, for 

 explanation of gear shifting. 



GECKO, gek'o, so called because of the 

 peculiar cry, like gekko, uttered by some of the 

 species, is a lizard of small size and repulsive 



THE GECKO 



appearance. It is distinguished from other 

 lizards by its peculiar formation, lack of eye- 

 lids, and adhesive feet which enable it to walk 

 on a smooth wall or windowpane. It feeds 



