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TEXT-BOOK OF ZOOLOGY 



of Africa, form a group rich in species and varieties. The best-known 

 African antelope is the Gazelle (Antilope dorcas), an inhabitant of the 

 desert, about the size and shape of a roe, but much more graceful. Its 

 coat is of the colour of the desert, and even escapes the keen falcon eye 

 of the native, who frequently is unable to distinguish the animal from 

 stones or desert rocks. The slender body and the thin but strong legs, 

 with their small hoofs, enable the animal to run with the speed of the 

 wind, to find sufficient food in the barren districts of its home (North 

 Africa, Arabia, and Syria), and to escape from its numerous fleet-footed 



GAZELLE. (One-fifteenth natural size.) 



enemies (leopards, jackals, greyhounds, etc.). Both the male and female 

 have horns bent in the shape of a lyre. 



The only European antelope is the Chamois (Rupicapra tragus). It 

 inhabits the Alps, Pyrenees, Abruzzi, Carpathians, the highlands of the 

 Balkan Peninsula, and the Caucasus, and is therefore a true inhabitant 

 of the mountains, which it ascends up to the limit of plant life. After a 

 herd has settled down at a spot offering a view around, some few of the 

 animals are always observed to remain standing upright and on the 

 look-out. As soon as they notice anything suspicious, they utter a 



