452 



hut the hips stout and finely rounded, indicating a 

 leaping animal. The males only have horns, which 

 for the last third are black and smooth, with sharp 

 tips ; the remaining two-thirds are distinctly annu- 

 lated ; and the horns are iyrated, and rather slender 

 throughout. Lightness and grace appear indeed 

 to be the leading characters of the*e very lively ani- 

 mals. The general colour on the upper part is a 

 rich reddish-brown, with a definite jet black line 

 down the ridge of the back, separating into two near 

 the tail, and proceeding down so as to form a sort of 

 oval round the insertion of that member. The under 

 part, including of course the insides of the legs and 

 thighs, is white, and so also are the lips, a spot or 

 line over each eye, and the interior of the cars. 



The length is fully four feet and a half, the height 

 at the shoulder three feet, and that of the croup per- 

 haps an inch or two more. In the full-grown ani- 

 mals the horns are about twenty inches long, and the 

 tips are not more than three or four incties apart, 

 although at the middle of their length they are more 

 than a foot apart. 



Though not seen within the Cape colony, they are 

 described as being very numerous on the plains fur- 

 ther to the north, especially those on the north or 

 right hand bank of the Orange river, near the tropic 

 of Capricorn. They are described not as gregarious, 

 but as living in families of about five or six each ; 

 and they are said to display nearly equal leaping 

 powers with the springboks, but they live in a rather 

 more westerly situation, and do not appear to be so 

 migratory as that species. They are eugerly hunted 

 by the natives, who prize their flesh highly ; but its 

 quality is a point upon which Europeans have had 

 but few opportunities of giving an opinion : they are, 

 however, one of the species of whose characters and 

 habits it would be desirable to know a good deal 

 more. 



The STEENBOK (A. tragulns). As its Dutch name 

 Steenbok, that is, stonebuck, implies, this species is 

 found chiefly in stony places, not among the moun- 

 tain crags, or indeed living rocks of any kind, but 

 rather upon those upper plains or flats near the rocky 

 hills or mountains, which are interspersed with large 

 fragments and bowlder-stones. Such places, though 

 the pasturage which they afford is generally sweet, 

 and the shelter of the stones in so far protects it. from 

 the action both of the drought and of violent winds, 

 so that it lasts for a longer period of the year than 

 the pasturage of the more level and exposed plains, 

 is yet at all times both scanty and scattered, and re- 

 quires great powers of locomotion in any animal 

 which has to find the greater part of its food there. 

 The steenbok is in consequence an antelope of pecu- 

 liarly light and buoyant form, remarkable for the 

 length, slenderness, symmetry, and graceful motion 

 of its limbs. 



The steenbok is but a small animal ; the length of 

 the head to the horns being four inches, and two 

 inches more to the ears, the length thence to the tail 

 is rather less than three feet, and the tail is a mere 

 lump or tubercle not easily perceptible. The height 

 at the shoulder is about one foot seven, and that of 

 the croup two inches more, indicating a leaping ani- 

 mal ; and it clears the larger stones on its pastures 

 with wonderful agility. The male only has horns, 

 small, round, slightly furrowed at the bases, very 

 smooth in the rest of their length, and sharp pointed. 

 Jn many positions of the ears, the horns are con- 



ANT ELOPES. 



cealed by these organs, which are double the length 

 and broad in proportion. It is worthy of remaik 

 that, generally speaking, in the same gcniis of animals 



the species which find their food in the hardest and 



most arid pastures have the largest ears, and, it is 

 presumed, the most acute sense of hearing. 



The Stecnbok. 



The head is oval, and tapering to the muzzle 

 which is round, small, and black. The eyes are high 

 in the head, with black sinuses under them. The 

 forehead and nose are pale chocolate-red ; the sides 

 of the face and chin, fawn-colour; the neck from the 

 nape and all the rest of the upper part from the croup 

 chocolate-red, passing into deeper red on the sides of 

 the neck, the flanks and the thighs. The breast and 

 under part generally, including the inner sides of the 

 thighs, are white, with the exception of the groin, 

 which is black, and nearly or all together destitute of 

 hair, the lower part of the legs is dun or dark buff. 

 There are no knee brushes, but the knees of the fore 

 legs have small callosities. The pasterns are very 

 short, the hoofs are also short but rather high, 

 black, and firm in their texture. There arc no false 

 hoofs on the legs. There is one peculiarity in the 

 colouring which deserves to be mentioned : a black 

 line proceeds from the root of each horn in the male, 

 and the two meet between the ears, forming a very 

 blunt angle. This marking is more conspicuous in 

 the harmless females than in the males ; for in them 

 the stripes begin and terminate in the same way, and 

 there are no horns to conceal them. 



The steenbok is a native of those places of the 

 Cape which are not far from Cape Town ; and it is 

 generally scattered over all the stony flats which 

 are found immediately below the sides and also in 

 the gorges of the mountain ridges. Those haunts 

 expose the animals, especially the young, to great 

 depredations from birds of prey, eagles in a particu- 

 lar manner. They are also met with in more locali- 

 ties than most of the other species ; and hence they 

 are very generally hunted as game. They are timid 

 and fleet, and when pursued can take such bounds as 

 to clear obstacles of from twelve to fifteen feet in 

 breadth ; but they are mild and gentle, and not only 

 do not turn upon their pursuers, but when pushed to 

 extremities, they conceal their heads in holes or in 

 bushes, and suffer themselves to be taken. Their 

 flesh is held in considerable estimation. 



The GRYSBOK (A. melanotis). This species has 

 a very considerable resemblance to the steenbok 

 both in its structure and its habits ; but it is more 

 stoutly made, and the legs in particular are both 

 shorter and stouter. It is altogether four or five 

 inches shorter, and stands about two inches and a 

 half lower both at the shoulders and at the croup. 

 The horns and ears are also much shorter : the 



