638 THE SPRING-BOK. 



a single green blade. When it is alarmed, and runs with its fullest speed, it lays its head 

 back so that the nose projects forward, while the horns lie almost as far back as the 

 shoulders, and then skims over the ground with such marvellous celerity that it seems 

 rather to fly than to run, and cannot be overtaken even by the powerful, long-legged, 

 and long-bodied greyhounds which are employed in the chase by the native hunters. 



When the Gazelle is hunted for the sake of the sport, and not merely for the object 

 of securing as many skins as possible, the falcon is called to the aid of the greyhound, 

 for without such assistance no one could catch an Ariel in fair chase. As soon as the 

 falcon is loosed from its jesses, it marks out its intended prey, and overpassing even 

 the swift limbs by its swifter wings, speedily overtakes it, and swoops upon its head. 

 Rising from the attack, it soars into the air for another swoop, and by repeated 

 assaults bewilders the poor animal so completely that it falls an easy prey to the grey- 

 hound, which is trained to wait upon the falcon, and watch its flight. 



When, however, the Gazelle is hunted merely for the sake of its flesh and skin, a 

 very different mode is pursued. 



Like all wild animals, the Gazelle is in the habit of marking out some especial stream 

 or fountain, whither it resorts daily for the purpose of quenching its thirst. Near one 

 of these watering-spots the hunters build a very large inclosure, sometimes nearly a 

 mile and a half square, the walls of which are made of loose stones, and are too high 

 even for the active Gazelle to surmount by means of its wonderful leaping powers. In 

 several parts of the edifice the wall is only a few feet in height, and each of these gaps 

 opens upon a deep trench or pit. The manner in which this enormous trap is employed 

 is sufficiently obvious. A herd of Gazelles is quietly driven towards the inclosure, one 

 side of which is left open, and being hemmed in by the line of hunters, the animals are 

 forced to enter its fatal precincts. As the pursuers continue to press forward with 

 shouts and all kinds of alarming noises, the Gazelles endeavor to escape by leaping 

 over the walls, but can only do so at the gaps, and fall in consequence into the trenches 

 that yawn to receive them. One after another falls into the pit, and in this manner 

 they perish by hundreds at a time. 



A very similar kind of trap, called the Hopo, is employed in Southern Africa, the 

 walls of the inclosure being formed of trees and branches, and terminating in the pit 

 of death. At the widest part the walls are about a mile asunder, and their length 

 is about one mile. The pit at the extremity is guarded at its edges with tree-trunks, 

 so as to prevent the sides from being broken down by the struggling animals in their 

 endeavors to escape, and the plan is so successful, that sixty or seventy herd of large 

 game are often captured in a single week. 



The flesh of the Ariel Gazelle is highly valued, and is made an article of commerce 

 as well as of immediate consumption by the captors. The hide is manufactured into 

 a variety of useful articles. The Ariel is a small animal, measuring only about twenty- 

 one inches in height at the shoulder. The JAIROU, or common Gazelle of Asia, which 

 is so celebrated by the Persian and other Oriental poets, is ascertained to be a different 

 species from the Dorcas, and may be distinguished from that animal by the general 

 dimness of the marking, and the dark brown streak on the haunches. It is also 

 known by the name of AHU, and DSHEREN. Several other species are now known to 

 belong to the genus Gazella, among which we may mention the MOHR of Western 

 Africa, the ANDRA of Northern Africa, and the KORIN, or KEVEL, of Senegal. The 

 latter animal possesses no tufts of hair upon the knees. There is one animal, the 

 CHIKARA, or RAVINE DEER of India, which is worthy of a passing notice, because it is 

 by some authors supposed to belong to the Gazelles, and by others to form a separate 

 genus, as is the case with the arrangement of the British Museum. This animal is 

 also known under the titles of CHOUKA, GOAT ANTELOPE, and KALSIEPIE, or BLACK- 

 TAIL. 



The SPRING-BOK derives its very appropriate title from the extraordinary leaps which 

 it is in the constant habit of making whenever it is alarmed. 



As soon as it is frightened at any real or fancied danger, or whenever it desires to 

 accelerate its pace suddenly, it leaps high into the air with a curiously easy movement, 



