252 



The Living Animals of the World 



Photo by the Duchea of Bedford} 



[ Woburn Abbey. 



KOAN ANTELOPE. 



In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry 



horns. 



had four valuable hounds 

 killed and four others 

 grievously wounded by one 

 of these animals in less than 

 a minute. I once knew a 

 native hunter who was stabbed 

 through the kidneys and 

 killed by a sable antelope cow. 

 The nearest allies of the 

 sable and roan antelopes are 

 the various species of the 

 genus Oryx. In this group 

 are included the WHITE ORYX, 

 which inhabits the desert 

 regions of the interior of 

 Northern Africa from Dongola 

 to Senegal ; the BEATRIX 

 ORYX of Southern Arabia ; 

 the G-EMSBUCK of South- 

 western Africa ; the BEISA,. 

 which is found in North-east 

 Africa from Suakim south- 

 wards to the river Tana ; and 

 the TUFTED BEISA, which is 



counted between seventy and 

 eighty together. However large 

 a herd of sable antelopes may 

 be, it is very exceptional to 

 find with it more than one fully 

 adult male, from which fact I 

 should judge that these animals 

 are of a very jealous and 

 pugnacious disposition. ^ When 

 wounded and brought to bay by 

 dogs, a sable antelope defends 

 itself with the utmost fury, 

 using its long scimitar-shaped 

 horns with most wonderful quick- 

 ness and dexterity. If badly 

 wounded it will lie down, other- 

 wise it fights standing. Keeping 

 its face to some of its foes, with 

 a sideways twist of its head 

 it will transfix and throw into 

 the air any dog which attempts 

 to attack it from behind. I 

 have seen a wounded sable 

 antelope, when lying down, 

 drive one of its horns clean 

 through a large dog deep into 

 its own haunch, and I have 



Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.] 



MALE OP GRANT'S GAZELLE. 



This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind. 



