2 8o ANTELOPES 



of a projecting rock, and saw, about 200 yards away, six beiras in single 

 file in the middle of the slabs. Resting my rifle, I opened fire, and 

 got three in five shots two more being obtained subsequently." 



Major Powell -Cotton observes that beira are difficult to spot 

 among the jungle ; and unless there is time to use the glasses the 

 bucks cannot be distinguished. Owing to their large ears and general 

 appearance, they much resemble overgrown dik-dik. It is interesting 

 to note that although beira closely resemble klipspringer in habits, 

 springing from rock to rock with the same indiarubber-like agility, yet 

 the structure of the hoofs is widely different in the two groups. This 

 is one of many instances in nature where the same end is attained by 

 different means. 



THE GEMSBUCK 



(Oryx gazella] 



Gemsbok, CAPE DUTCH ; Kukama, BECHUANA ; Ko, BUSHMAN 

 (PLATE xi, fig. i) 



With the South African gemsbuck (pronounced liemsbok by the 

 Dutch), we come to a very distinct subfamily of large-sized antelopes 

 the Hippotragina represented typically by the sable antelope and 

 its allies, but including also the gemsbuck group and the addax. 

 Both sexes are furnished with horns, which are long, heavily ridged, 

 situated over the eyes, and either spiral, straight, or sabre-like in form ; 

 those of the females being in some cases longer than those of the 

 bucks, although more slender. The muzzle is hairy, face-glands are 

 wanting, and the tail is comparatively long, and either tufted at the 

 tip, or long-haired for the greater part of its length. From those of 

 all other antelopes the upper cheek-teeth are distinguished by their tall 

 and squared crowns, which are almost precisely similar to those of 

 oxen. In the skull there are neither depressions for face-glands, nor 

 pits in the forehead, while the unossified spaces in the neighbourhood 

 of the nose-bones are minute. The subfamily is confined to Africa, 

 Arabia, Syria, and perhaps some of the adjacent countries. 



The leading features distinguishing the members of the gemsbuck 

 group from the other representatives of the subfamily are the straight 

 or sabre-shaped cylindrical horns, the long and more or less bushy tail, 

 the slight development of the mane on the neck, and the smooth or 



