SCYTHIAN ANTILOPE. 395 



faiga *. The horns in the Royal cabinet were 

 lent under the denomination of horns of the 



Hungarian 



nibus in alturn porreclis, quibufdam circulis notatis, ex qui-' 

 bus Mofci manubria cultcllorum tranfparentia faciunt, velo- 

 ciffimi curfus et altiffimorum faltuum ; Gefner, Hiji. quad. /<. 

 361. et 362. ubi vide figuras. 



* In the environs of Sempalat, there are a number of Sai± i 

 or Saiga. This ani.nal has a great refemblance to the roe- 

 buck, except that its horns are flraight. It is known in no 

 other part of Siberia ; for what is called Saiga in the province 

 of Irkutzk is the mufk .... The tafte of its flefli, it is faid, 

 icfembles that of the flag ; Voyage ds Gmelin a Kamtfchatka, 

 tern. 1. p. 179. — Note. M. Gmelin has fmce publifhed a more 

 comprehenfive defcription of the faiga, in the mil volume of 

 the New Memoirs of the Academy of Peterfburg, under the 

 name of ibex imberbis ; but he has given no figure of it. M. 

 Gmelin remarks, that this animal has the head of a ram, with 

 a higher and more prominent nofe, and the body of a (lag, 

 but fmaller ; for it never reaches the fize of a roebuck. The 

 horns are yellowiih and tranfparent,a foot in length, have rings 

 or circles toward the bafe, and are fituated above the eyes. 

 The cars are ereel, pretty large, and terminate in a point. 

 In the under jaw, there are four cutting, four canine, and five 

 grinding teeth each of the lafl having two roots. In the up- 

 per jaw there are an equal number of cutting and canine tee,th, 

 but only four grinders, each of which has three roots. The 

 neck is pretty long. ■ The hind are longer than the fore legs. 

 The foot, is cloven. The female has four paps. The tail is 

 thin, and about three inches long. The hair, like that of the 

 Hag, is of a yellowifti brown colour on the body, and white 

 under the belly. The female is fmaller than the male, and 

 has no horns . . . Worms breed under their fkin . . . Thefe 

 animals copulate in autumn, and bring forth one or two 

 young in the fpring. They live upon herbage, and are very 

 fat when the rutting feafon commences. In fummer, they 

 inhabit the plains along the banks of the litis. In winter, 

 they go to the higher grounds ; and they are found not only 

 about the Irtis, but in all the countries watered by the Borif- 

 thenes, the Don, and the Wolga ; Vide Nov. Coin. Acad. Petrop. 



tpm. 5. p. i\$ The jfecretary of the Peterfburg Academy 



adds 



