AFTER ORYX AND ELAND— BARINGO 85 



my oryx ; but the lierd contained several handsome 

 heads, and, moreover, I was then under a totally false 

 impression that all gazelles north of Baringo were 

 G. 2^^tersi — a new species to me — and not G. granti 

 at all. I had been so assured, and, under that belief, 

 proceeded to pick out, one after another, the four finest 

 heads in the herd. These gazelles apparently realised 

 no danger in the report of a rifle, for they merely con- 

 tinued their stately walk, their splendid horns nodding 

 in unison with each step, while by creeping in the long- 

 grass parallel with their file I secured the four best 

 bucks within a space of 200 yards. These four heads 

 taped 23^, 21f, 20 and 20 ins. respectively, span of 

 the biggest lOf ins., and are as good as any to be 

 seen in the Baringo country. 



NOTE OX GRANT'S GAZELLE 



Gi*ant's gazelle, it is now recognised, is divisible into several 

 distinct local races, vai'ying both in the form of horn and also 

 in distribution of colour, particularly on the rump-patch and in 

 the depth or absence of dark lateral bands. The typical form, 

 Gazella granti tyjnca, as secured by us on the Athi Plains, at 

 Elmenteita and elsewhere, carried horns up to 25 ins. in length, 

 with an extreme span between tips of 16 ins. Such are average 

 specimens. Further south, on the Seringeti and Rhombo Plains 

 towards Kilimanjaro, much larger examples are recorded, measuring 

 28 to 30 ins., and even mor-e. These are all typical G. granti. 



On the western boundary of German East Africa, a race exists 

 which (while the horns do not reach 25 ins. in length) displays 

 quite an extravagant divergence, the span between tips spreading 

 out to 27 and 28 ins. — a breadth which obviously alters the whole 

 type and appearance of the head, as shown in the annexed plate 

 (p. 87). This latter race has been entitled G. g. rohertsl. 



The Baringo gazelles above mentioned are G. f/. hrighti ; while 

 on the Laikipia Plateau to the eastward yet another form is recog- 

 nised, distinguishable from the typical race not only by its smaller 

 size and shorter, narrower horns, but by a deeper body-colour and 

 more conspicuous lateral bands. These Laikipia gazelles have been 

 separated as G. g. notcda. All those we shot, of either race, possessed 

 the curious tuft of bushy hair below the fore-knees. 



Peters' gazelle {G. j^^tersi) is quite a different animal, much 

 smaller (intermediate in size between Grant's and Thomson's 

 gazelles), and is not met with inland, being confined to the coast 



