Zoological Society. 411 



The last attempt to arrange this extensive family in subordinate 

 groups is that of ]Mr. Gray, published ia the eighteenth volume of the 

 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History.' His preliminary remarks, 

 though brief, appear to me quite sufficient to dispose of the arrange- 

 ments previously set forth, therefoie I will content myself with the con- 

 sideration of his own. The two primary divisions, which are founded 

 only upon the horns, certainly do not indicate any very natural affi- 

 nities, since, taking the whole structure into consideration, the Anti- 

 lopece of Mr. Gray are not more closely allied to the Hovece than they 

 are to the members of the second primary division, nor do the Strep- 

 sicerece ally themselves particularly to the Sheep and Goats. With 

 regard to the subdivision of the AnWopece, he is certainly right in 

 separating the " Antelopes of the Desert" as a group, although there 

 is no doubt that some of the divisions of the " Antelopes of the 

 Fields" are equally as distinct from each other as they are from the 

 former. The division of the latter group into " True Antelopes,"' 

 " Caprine Antelopes," and "Cervine Antelopes," also possesses some 

 merit ; but the genera Capricornis and Nemorhcpdos are very distinct 

 from the other Caprine Antelopes, and the genus Eleotragvs {Re- 

 dunca of Major Smith) is very distinct from the other true Antelopes, 

 and ought, as I am quite convinced, to include the genus Kolns of 

 Dr. Andrew Smith, placed by Mr. Gray among his Cervine Ante- 

 lopeSj and consisting of species not known at the time Major Smith 

 was engaged in these researches. 



It will be universally admitted, that for the generic division of the 

 Ruminants, zoology is most indebted to Major Smith, and in the 

 course of my observations I have found reason to reject but few of 

 the division? proposed by him as subgenera, and few, if any, in my 

 opinion, need be added. As I thus propose to curtail the list of 

 genera adopted by Mr. Gray, and to separate certain of them from 

 those with which he has associated them, several will stand alone ; 

 and of those which do ally themselves together, no group seems to 

 manifest that particular relationship with other groups which should 

 warrant us in separating the family, as Mr. Gray has done, into 

 divisions of a primary, secondary, tertiary, and in some cases even a 

 fourth and fifth degree of rank. 



I will, therefore, while enumerating the characters which I have 

 observed in the genera I propose to adopt, point out which of them 

 appear to constitute groups, and mention those species which, from 

 the inspection of entire specimens, skiUls, or at least horns, I feel 

 warranted in referring to the genera under which I place them. As 

 I have seen nothing to guide me to a particular linear arrangement, 

 any naturalist who may be pleased to adopt my divisions is at liberty 

 to place the groups, and the genera contained in each, in whatever 

 order he may think most convenient. 



I will first proceed to the " true Antelopes" of Mr. Gray, excluding 

 the genus Eleotrayus. They all have the horns round, the middle 

 incisors expanded at their summits, the others being bent outwards to 

 make room for them, and the molars without supplemental lobes. 

 The infraorbital depression when existing upon the skull is gene- 



