GAZELLES— ORYX— ONA GER 4 5 



transition from the goats to members of this group, while the group itself is very- 

 large and comprises a number of widely different types. As a matter of fact, 

 "antelopes" really comprise a number of groups of ruminants. The grea 

 majority of the antelopes are inhabitants of Africa. Elsewhere, with the excep- 

 tion of a few species in Syria and Arabia, together with the blackbuck, the nilgai, 

 and the four-horned antelope of India, the chiru of Tibet, and the saiga of Russia 

 and western Asia, there is only the numerous and wide-spread group of the 

 gazelles. Typically these are rather small or moderately large antelopes, of graceful 

 build, with large eyes, a rather short tail, sharp hoofs, a white streak bordered 

 with brown running down the side of the face towards the nose, and usually tufts 

 of long hair at the knees. The colour is fawn or sandy, in harmony with the 

 desert country these antelopes generally frequent. Gazelles are spread all over 

 northern, eastern, and southern Africa, in suitable districts, as well as western 

 Asia as far as India, and a great part of central Asia. Of the Asiatic forms the 

 Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) is common to Africa and Asia, occurring, for 

 instance, in Syria, Palestine, and the adjoining districts of Asia Minor, although 

 its principal habitat is Africa. Three kinds inhabit southern Arabia, namely, 

 G. arabica, G. marica, and G. muscatensis, while others, such as the Baluchi 

 (G. fuscifrons), the Persian (G. seistanica), and the Indian (G. bennetti), occur 

 farther east. A well-known species is the goitred gazelle (G. subgutturosa), of 

 which there are several local races. This species inhabits an extensive area in 

 south-western and central Asia, extending from the table-land of Persia, Asia 

 Minor, and the Caucasus through Afghanistan, the Altai and the confines of the 

 Gobi desert, The does are usually hornless. The bucks carry lyrate horns, diverg- 

 ing from the base, with the points turned towards each other. Seen from the aide 

 the horns appear to be S-shaped, and have sixteen to twenty -live strongly marked 

 rings. In colour the typical Persian race of this gazelle in summer is pale fawn 

 above, and white below and up to the root of the tail, though not around it. 

 The colours are distinctly separate at the sides, and round the white rump-patch is 

 a dark band ; the tail is blackish brown. 



Very characteristic of Mesopotamia and Arabia is the beaut il'ul 



beatrix oryx (Oryx beatrix), whose allies are all African. This small 



species stands about 35 inches at the shoulder, and is mostly white in colour, with 



brown legs and brown markings on the face and throat, as well as a tail-tip of 



the same colour. Its horns are straight. 



It may be added that the wild boar is a denizen of much of the area now 

 under consideration. 



Passing on to the horse tribe, the onager or Asiatic wild ass 

 onager. ^quus onager) is an inhabitant of Syria, Asia Minor, the Euphrates 

 districts, Kurdistan, Persia, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, Sind, Each, and other districts 

 of northern and western India. This species, of which there are several local races. 

 has moderately large ears, an erect mane, and a tail covered at the base with short 

 hair which grows longer towards the tip. It is fawn or chestnut-brown above, 

 and white below, the back being marked with a dark brown, partly white-edged, 

 stripe, running down the middle. Sometimes there is a shoulder-stripe and 

 sometimes the legs are barred with reddish brown. The shoulder-height is about 



