2 5 o ANTELOPES 



the face is marked with longitudinal dark and light streaks. Tufts of 

 hair are usually developed on the knees ; and the tail in all the 

 African species is of medium length. Glands are present on the face, 

 and corresponding depressions for their reception in the skull below the 

 sockets of the eyes in all the African representatives of the group. In 

 the bucks the horns are stout, boldly ridged, and in most cases, though 

 not all, not much longer than the head, the tips being generally more 

 or less curved forwards or outwards, but occasionally inwards. In 

 the does they are shorter, straighter, more slender, and display less 

 constancy of form in the individual species. Gazelles which are 

 common to a large portion of Asia and the more open districts of 

 Africa, include a large number of species, of which the majority are 

 African. 



The dorcas, or typical, gazelle, which is one of the smallest 

 representatives of the whole group, standing less than a couple of 

 feet at the shoulder, agrees with a large number of other species in 

 that the white of the rump does not extend on to the back, in the 

 indistinctness of the dark band on the flanks which separates the fawn- 

 area above from the white below, and likewise by the perfectly lyrate 

 horns, which are of medium length, with the middle portion twisted 

 outwardly and the tips converging. In the present species the 

 shoulder-height is about 21 or 22 inches; and the general colour of 

 the upper -parts pale fawn of rather variable tint, with the face- 

 markings distinct, but no dark spot on the nose. The tail is, as usual, 

 black above. The record horn-length is 13^ inches. 



A native of the plains in the wilder parts of Algeria, Tunis, and 

 Tripoli, this gazelle ranges eastward into Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and 

 certain parts of Asia Minor, while to the southward its range extends 

 into Nigeria and the eastern Sudan. The habits of the species are 

 the same as these, of gazelles generally ; but it may be noted that the 

 dorcas prefers open country sparsely covered with scrubby vegetation 

 to the arid desert itself, where indeed it would probably starve. In 

 Tunisia, although they are sometimes shot from horseback, these 

 gazelles are more generally coursed with greyhounds. 



The function of the tufts of long hairs on the knees of gazelles (as 

 well as of some others of the smaller antelopes) is apparently to act as 

 pads to protect the knees when in the kneeling posture an attitude 

 frequently adopted by these antelopes when grazing. It is, however, 

 noteworthy that they correspond to some extent in position with the 

 tufts of long hairs growing on the leg-glands of most deer. 



