340 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



upset him, and a knife-thrust finished him. K Tartar shikari, 

 who was standing by, absolutely refused to lend any assistance 

 during the struggle, contenting himself with applauding the 

 combatants and seeing fair play. The does are smaller than 

 the bucks, are of a light brown colour, and have no 

 horns. 



Unlike other antelope, the bucks separate from the does in 

 the summer, and walk about in herds together. They are much 

 worried by the grubs of some fly, which seems to annoy them 

 chiefly when lying down during the heat of the day, for it is a 

 common thing to see one of a herd get up, go for a constitu- 

 tional gallop — they always gallop then — return to the herd and lie 

 down again with the others. They do not seem to be troubled 

 so much when moving about feeding. The venison in July is 

 excellent. 



XLV. THE SAIGA ANTELOPE {Saiga tartarica) 



This extraordinary- animal, which hails from Central Asia, 



is said to be a relative of the Thibetan antelope, on account of * 



the peculiar formation of the nose. In the stuffed specimens 11 

 in the British Museum there is little or no resemblance between 

 the two ; the Thibetan antelope having there, as in its natural 

 state, a broad puffy muzzle, while the saiga antelope has, at all 



events in the Museum, in addition to a very high chevron, an j 



absurd-looking elongated snout like a tapir, projecting far be- \ 



yond its lower lip. The hair is thick and long, particularly on i 



the cheeks, where it almost resembles a wild boar. The ears j 



are small and rounded in shape, utterly unlike any deer's ears, j 



The general colour is almost white (probably a very pale yellow ■ 



in nature), and there is a dark stripe down the quarters and \ 



tail. The horns are annulated and of a very pale colour, the !( 



stuffed specimen having twelve rings ; and though of the gazelle ;{ 



type, with a backward sweep, rising up again at the tips, they -j 



tiave also two curious outward bends, one near the base of the 'i 



horn, and another near the tip, though the tips eventually I 



incline inwards. A skeleton in the Museum measured 58 ins. '•! 



