201 



ORYX. 



Major Smith's next group is Oryx. " Horns com- 

 non to both sexes, horizontal, very long, slender, 

 without ridges, pointed, black, with annules some- 

 what spirally twisted to half or two-thirds of their 

 length. The animals large, with long ears, small or 

 uo suborbital sinus, ovine muzzle, darker coloured 

 streak through the eyes, mane on the neck reversed ; 

 tail reaching to the houghs, and terminated by a tuft 

 of long hairs; no tufts on the knees nor inguinal 

 pores ; two mammae ; stature large ; general colour of 

 the fur rufous or vinous grey upon a white ground." 



This group is remarkable, as it is supposed that 

 from some of its members the far-famed Unicorn would 

 be made out. At various times reports have reached 

 this country, that this animal of anomalous form had 

 been discovered, sometimes it was in the interior de- 

 serts of Africa, sometimes from the unexplored dis- 

 tricts of the Indian Mountains. The animal itself, 

 however, has never reached this country, and most 

 likely never will. In all the ancient carvings, coins, 

 and Latin heraldic insignia, the form of the animal 

 can always be represented as belonging to some one 

 of the Oryxes. In the ancient carving the horns ara 

 bften represented so much in profile as to appear on- 

 ly one, while it is well known that among African 



