PAL A 



239 



s melauipus] 



Rooi-bok, CAPE DUTCH ; Impala, ZULU, SWAZI, AND MATONGA ; 

 Pa/a, Palla, BASUTO, BECHUANA, AND WAGANDA ; Nswala, 

 LOWER ZAMBESI ; Inzero, MASUBIA ; Swala, SWAHILI ; Luondo 

 AND Nipala, BAROTSi, NGAMI, CHILALA, AND CHIBISA. 



(PLATE V, fig. 7) 



The pala is the first representative of the typical subfamily of 

 the antelopes the Antilopiruz ; a group differing from most of those 

 already considered in its much wider geographical distribution. Several 

 of the genera, for instance, like the typical Antilope (blackbuck), are 

 exclusively Asiatic, while others, like Gazella, are common to Asia and 

 Africa, and others, again, such as the present, are restricted to Africa 

 south of the Sahara. As distinctive characteristics of the subfamily 

 may be mentioned the medium or small size of the species, the hairy 

 muzzle, and the generally short tail. Face-glands may be present or 

 absent ; the upper cheek-teeth are tall and narrow, like those of sheep ; 

 another sheep-like character being the presence of only two teats in 

 the females of all the species except the Asiatic saiga. As a rule, the 

 skull has gland-pits below the eyes, unossified spaces in the neighbour- 

 hood of the nose-bones, and deep pits on the forehead like those of the 

 Cervicaprince. With the exception of the springbuck and the majority 

 of the gazelles, horns are developed only in the males ; in most of the 

 African members of the group these approximate more or less to a 

 lyrate form, and are always heavily ridged for the greater part of their 

 length. 



The two species of pala are some of the largest members of the 

 group, easily distinguished from the rest by the absence of lateral 

 hoofs, and the presence of glandular tufts of black hair above the 

 hind-hoofs (whence the name melampus}. The head is devoid of 

 face-glands, the tail is of moderate length, and the skull has small pits 

 above the eye-sockets, while the unossified vacuities in the neighbour- 

 hood of the nose-bones are small. The horns of the males are long, 

 and curved into a broadly lyrate form, with the ridges confined to the 

 front surface, but extending throughout the greater part of the length ; 

 they are somewhat compressed laterally. The short and glossy hair 



