58 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



thrives and breeds well in captivity, and might have become a common 

 park animal here, had it possessed better qualifications for such a 

 position ; but as it is only moderately ornamental, and the bulls are 

 decidedly dangerous, there has been no great inducement to take it 

 up. When preparing to attack, the Nilghai goes down on its knees, 

 and then springs up suddenly. 



In Calcutta I heard that Nilghais could be, and had been, broken to 

 harness, and would go well in a trap ; but my informant added that if 

 they did bolt there was no stopping them I 



With the Nilghai we come to the end of most of the larger and 

 more remarkable Antelopes, the others being nearly all small, and not 

 striking in appearance. 



THE FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE 



( Tetraceros quadricornis) 



THIS is also a purely Indian Antelope, and it is at once distinguished 

 from all others of the family and, indeed, from all other living wild 

 animals by the possession of two pairs of horns. Not that these are 

 very much to boast of, the hinder pair, which are situated in the usual 

 place for horns at the top of the head being little conical black spikes 

 only about four inches long, while the front pair, placed on the fore- 

 head, are considerably shorter, and in some individuals, in the south 

 of India, never appear at all. In any case they develop later than the 

 hinder ones ; in the female there are no horns. Except for its number 

 of horns, there is nothing very remarkable about this Antelope ; it is a 

 small animal, with a narrow muzzle and rounded back. The colour 

 of the coat is a light brown. 



The Four-horned Antelope is a forest animal, and solitary in its 

 habits ; it drinks daily, and so is usually found near water. It thrives 

 well in captivity, and is usually to be seen in the London Zoological 

 Gardens, where young have been produced on more than one occasion. 



THE DUIKERS 



WERE it not for its possession of a second pair of horns, the Four- 

 horned Antelope would be a very typical representative of the 



