248 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.] 



[North Finchly 



SPEKE'S GAZELLE 



Found in the interior of Northern Somaliland 



GAZELLE, with its allies PETERS'S 

 GAZELLE and THOMSON'S GAZELLE. 

 The well-known DORCAS GAZELLE is 

 an inhabitant of Morocco and Algeria, 

 ranging through Egypt into Palestine 

 and Syria ; the MARICA GAZELLE, the 

 MUSCAT GAZELLE, and the ARABIAN 

 GAZELLE inhabit the deserts of Arabia ; 

 the EDMI GAZELLE is found in the 

 mountain-ranges of Morocco, Algeria, 

 and Tunis ; while LODER'S GAZELLE 

 inhabits the sandy tracts of the interior 

 of Algeria and Tunis. In Asia, besides 

 the four species of gazelle already 

 enumerated in which the females are 

 hornless, one other member of the 

 group is met with. This is the INDIAN 

 GAZELLE, a species very closely allied 

 to the Arabian form. 



Of the whole genus GRANT'S GAZELLE is the most beautiful. This handsome animal, which 

 was first discovered by the explorers Speke and Grant in 1860, is an inhabitant of Eastern' 

 Africa, from the neighbourhood of Lake Rudolph southwards to Ugogo. In size the average 

 height at the shoulder of males of this species is about 34 inches. The coat is close and 

 short and of a general fawn colour, the rump and belly pure white, and the face marked With 

 a rufous band from the horns to the nose and with streaks of white on each side. The upper 

 surface of the tail is white, with a black and tufted tip. The horns, which are very elegant 

 in shape, being first curved slightly forwards and then backwards, are much longer and more 

 powerful than in any other gazelle, and attain a length of 30 inches in the males and 17 inches 

 in the females. 



Grant's gazelles, though they undoubtedly find their most congenial home in open 

 country, have also been met with by recent travellers in bush-sprinkled wastes and stony, 

 rugged hills. They are, however, never found in dense jungles or high mountains. They live 

 in herds of from half a dozen to twenty or thirty individuals, though in certain localities as 

 many as 200 have been seen together. They 

 are fond of consorting with other game, such as 

 Burchell's and Grevy's zebras, Coke's hartebeest, 

 and the beisa oryx, and are often met with at 

 long distances from the nearest water. They 

 are keen-sighted and wary, and from the open 

 character of the country in which they are 

 usually encountered are often difficult to stalk. 

 When in good condition, the meat of this gazelle 

 is said to be excellent. 



The, nearest ally of the true gazelles is 

 undoubtedly the SPRINGBUCK of South Africa. 

 Owing to the protection which it has received 

 of late years, this graceful antelope is now a 

 common animal in many parts of South Africa, 

 and in the north-western portions of the Cape 



\ 



Colony still sometimes collects into prodigious 

 herds, which travel through the country in dense 

 masses, destroying every vestige of grass on the 



Photo by W. P. Dando] 



GAZELLES FROM EGYPT 



Seen in great numbers in the Bayuda Detert 



