232 RT7MINANTIA. 



character of the family. The case of the horns is thin, and as a 

 group, the Antelopes are numbered among the HOLLOW-HORNED 

 ANIMALS. A large part of them have lachrymal sinuses or 

 *' tear-pits," as seen in the Deer, and which can be opened at the 

 will of the animal. These are furnished at the bottom with a 

 gland that secretes an oily, viscous substance of the color and 

 consistency of ear-wax, and turning black upon exposure to the 

 air. The common Indian Antelope, and the Gazelle, according 

 to observations of them away from their native climes, use this 

 organ when any strange substance is brought to their notice, par- 

 ticularly if it be odoriferous ; and they appear to derive great 

 pleasure from protruding the sinus and rubbing it against the 

 odorous body. The possession of sinuses distinguishes the An- 

 telopes from the Goats and the Sheep ; and this, connected with 

 the absence of horns in the females of many species, also makes 

 this family an intermediate link between the rest of the Hollow- 

 Horned Ruminants and the Cervine, or Solid-Horned Animals. 

 A few species of Antelopes have an additional gland running 

 lengthwise between the sub-orbital sinus and the mouth, but hav- 

 ing no internal opening, and secreting an oily substance. An- 

 other and more general character of this family than even the 

 lachrymal sinuses, is the inguinal pores or folds opening inwards 

 and secreting a substance similar to that of the other glands to 

 which we have now referred. 



The form of the upper lip is quite various In some species 

 it forms a broad naked muzzle, as in the ox ; in ethers it is hairy 

 and attenuated, as in the goat , and in still others it shows a mod- 

 ification of both these characters. The hair of the Antelope is 

 usually short and smooth, and of an equal length on every part 

 of the body ; some, however, have bristly manes along the neck 

 and shoulders, and a very few species, like the Gnu, have a 

 beard on the chin and throat. Generally these animals are 

 found in large herds, but some species reside in pairs or families. 

 Africa may be regarded as the " head quarters " of the Ante- 

 lopes. The nature of their habitat varies in different species. 



This family has been arranged into two grand divisions, the 

 ANTELOPES OF THE FIELDS, and the ANTELOPES OF THE DES- 

 ?ERT, between which the most obvious distinction is that in the 

 Antelopes of the Fields "the nostrils are free from hairs, whilst 

 in the Antelopes of the Desert, the nostrils are beaded within, or 

 covered with bristles. " (English Cyclopedia.) 



L ANTELOPES OF THE FIELDS. These are arranged into three 

 groups. 



1st. True Antelopes, "which have a light, elegant body; slen- 



