ANTELOPES. 



293 



Indian Gazelle. 



24 inches at the shoulder ; and the horns are relatively long and slender, with their 

 tips incurved, their length being sometimes a little over 13 inches. Like most 

 other gazelles, this beautiful little animal is of extremely delicate build, and is re- 

 markable for its great speed. When running, it appears to skim the ground like a 

 bird, and often takes leaps of a yard or more in height. Closely allied to this 

 species is the isabelline gazelle (G. isabellina) of Kordofan and Senaar, distinguished 

 by the tail being rufous, instead of black, above. Other species are the korin (G. 

 rufifrons) of Senegal ; Sundevall's gazelle (G. laevipes) of Senaar ; and the black- 

 tailed gazelle (G. tilonura) of Bogosland ; the latter being characterised by its 

 superior size, reaching 29 inches at the shoulder, and the horns varying from 7 

 to 10| inches in length. 



The Indian gazelle (G. bennetti), brings us to a subgroup dis- 

 tinguished from the preceding by the horns not being distinctly 

 lyrate, but generally having a slight S-shaped curvature when seen from the side. 

 The general colour of this well-known species — the ravine-deer of Indian sports- 

 men — is light chestnut above, while the tail is blackish. 

 In height the buck stands 26 inches at the withers ; and 

 the horns, which usually have fifteen or sixteen rings, 

 average 10 to 12 inches in length along the curve. This 

 species inhabits the plains of Central and North- Western 

 India, whence it extends through Baluchistan to Persia. 

 It is commonly found in parties of from two to six, 

 although occasionally from ten to twenty may be found 

 together. Its swiftness is such that it can but seldom 

 be taken with dogs ; but it does not leap in the air like 

 the dorcas. Mr. Blanford writes that this gazelle 

 " keeps much to waste ground, especially where that is 

 broken up by ravines, but it is seldom seen on alluvial 

 plains, and it haunts cultivation less than the [Indian] 

 antelope. It is frequently found amongst scattered 

 bushes or thin tree-jungle, and may be met with on 

 undulating ground even on the top of hills ; it is com- 

 monly found amongst sand-hills, and is nowhere so 

 abundant as in parts of the Indian desert. It lives on 

 grass and the leaves of bushes, and I believe never drinks, for it is common in 

 tracts where there is no water except from deep wells." Other members of this 

 group are the mountain-gazelle (G. cuvieri) of Morocco and Algeria, which reaches 

 a height of 27i inches ; the small-horned gazelle (G. leptoceros) of the Sudan ; 

 the well-known Arabian gazelle (G. arabica); and Speke's gazelle (G. spekei) of 

 the plateau of Somaliland. The latter species is of very small size, and remark- 

 able for the loose flabby skin of the nose, and is further distinguished by the 

 length of its hair and dull coloration. The length of the horns ranges from 9J to 

 11| inches. 



Another group is formed by three Asiatic gazelles, which differ from all other 



. members of the genus by the females being hornless. Of these, the 

 Persian Gazelle. . ° 



Persian gazelle ((?. subgutturosa) inhabits the highlands of Persia and 



SKULL OF INDIAN GAZELLE. 



