9 o CHILDHOOD OF ANIMALS 



The young almost invariably resemble the females in general tawny 

 coloration, and have the stripes and spots more brightly marked 

 than in the adults. The new-born calves of the South African 

 eland, which is the common species in Zoological Gardens, are 

 born with rather a shaggy coat the longer hairs of which are shed 

 very soon, and then the barrel-hoop stripes of white become visible, 





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zr "*" ^-^-^"x *** "' '" 



FIG. 24. 



Young and Adult Selous' Sitatunga Antelope. 

 (Partly after SCLATER and THOMAS.) 



but fade out as the animals grow up, usually remaining rather 

 brighter in the females and being nearly obliterated in the males. 

 In the Derbian eland they remain more visible in both sexes, and the 

 same occurs in the kudus. The young Selous' sitatunga antelope 

 (Fig. 24) has a livery of reddish-brown with spots on the flanks, and 

 rows of spots just fusing into barrel hoops across the back ; but these 

 have faded out almost completely in the adult female, and com- 

 pletely in the adult male, which is dark brown. In Speke's sitatunga 

 and the Congo sitatunga, the contrast between adult males and 

 females is not so great ; slight traces of the stripes are retained in the 

 male, rather more in the female, whilst the young is as richly marked 



