, ;1 VERTEBRATA. 



THE NIL-GHAU. 



ffenus PORTAX : Porta*. — Of this there is a single species, the Nil-Ghau or Blue Anti- 

 LorK. P. picta or P. trayocamelus, supposed to be the Hippelapke of Aristotle. It is one of the 

 largest of the Antilope tribe, being four feet high at the shoulders. The face is long and narrow, 

 the muzzle huge and naked ; the horns, seven inches long, are straight, smooth, round, and thick ; 

 the hair ia short, and the color a slaty-blue. It resides in the dense forests of India, whence it 



asionally makes excursions very early in the morning or during the night, to feed upon the 

 i-fields of the natives which happen to be situated in the vicinity of the jungle. It is a vicious 

 animal, of very uncertain temper, and as it is both powerful and resolute, and frequently turns 

 apon it- pursuers, it is seldom made an object of chase except by the native princes, who em- 

 ploy elephants for this purpose, or inclose the game in nets. The usual method which the 

 Shikarrees, or professed hunters, employ for its capture, is to shoot it from an elevated platform, 

 when it comes out at night or early in the morning to feed on the confines of the jungle; this 

 being likewise their mode of destroying tigers, wild boars, and other beasts which they dare not 

 attack openly. Even in confinement, and when domesticated from birth, the violent and change- 

 able temper of the \il-< lliau cannot be trusted. Previous to making an attack, it drops upon 

 the fore-knees, advancing in this position till within a proper distance, then darting suddenly for- 

 ward with the velocity of an arrow, and with a force which no ordinary animal can withstand. 

 V. •. ^i>>\\\ ithstanding it- \ igor and resolution, it is the most common prey of the tiger. It has often 

 been hied in confinement, both in England and India. The period of gestation is eight months, 



and two young are com nly produced at a birth. At first the young males are of the same 



reddish-brown color as the females, and only assume the grayish-blue shade proper to their sei 

 on arriving at maturity: their growth is, however, rapid, and they attain their adult size in the 

 ■ nd or third year of their age. 



Genua TRAGELAPH1 3: Tragelaphus. — Of this the most noted species is the Guib A nth. on;, 

 '/'. scriptus, a graceful animal, about the size of a common deer, of a reddish fawn-color, hut 

 marked with white Btripesalong the hack and sides, and with white spots on the haunches. These 

 markings are prominent in both -exes ; and as they resemble a harness, the species has been called 

 the Harnetsed Antilope. It is found in the western part of Africa, where it associates in extensive 

 herds. 



