QUADRUPEDS. 321 



tragus) was formerly very abundant near tlie Cape, but is 

 now rare, except in the interior of the country. They 

 dwell among rocky precipices, and spring from cliff to cliff 

 with surprising strength and agility. The steenbock 

 (A. rupcstris) likewise dwells among the rocks. It is found 

 near Algoa Bay, but is now rare in the Cape colony. The 

 vlackti steenbock (J., nifescens) is among the most beautiful 

 of the smaller antelopes of Africa. The name of vlackti is 

 bestowed upon it, in consequence of its inhabiting the plains 

 or open country. The bush-antelope {A. silvicultrix) is 

 found at Sierra Leone, where it is called the bush-goat. It 

 usually quits its cover in search of food about sunrise. 

 The four-tufted antelope (A. quadriscopa) is a native of 

 Senegal. The duicker bock (A. vicrgcns) is a timid species, 

 fearful of thunder and other unaccustomed sounds. It in- 

 habits bushes, and rises every now and then upon its hind 

 legs for the sake of surveying its vicinity. It then stoops 

 down and darts under cover, from which custom it has no 

 doubt obtained the name of duicker, or the stooper. The 

 gMeyei {A. ■pygmaa) consists of two well-marked varieties, 

 if two distinct species have not been confounded under a 

 single name. At present we shall allude only to the 

 smaller, which is remarkable for its diminutive size. A 

 female in Bullock's Museum scarcely exceeded the general 

 dimensions of a Norway rat, and the legs were no thicker 

 than a goose's quill. The gueveis are brought from the 

 coast of Guinea, and are sometimes observed to occur in 

 the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope. 



One of the largest of the African antelopes is the bubale 

 {A. bubalis of Pallas), equal in size to a stag. It congre- 

 gates in troops, among which frequent and sometimes fatal 

 combats take place. This species was well known to the 

 ancients, and is represented among the hieroglyphical 

 figures of the temples of Upper Egypt. It inhabits Barbary 

 and the Great Desert of Northern Africa. 



We may here mention the gnu, as an animal classed by 

 Sparrman and others among the antelopes. It assembles 

 in large herds among the southern, and probably the central 

 deserts of Africa. It is not now found nearer the Cape 

 than the great Karroo district. Of this animal there ap- 

 pears to be more species than one. 



