393 THE A N T I L O P E S, 



Barbary, and In all the northern parts of Africa. 

 The horns of this antilope are about a foot in 

 length. They have entire rings at their bafe, and 

 then half rings till within a fmall diftance from 

 the extremities, which are fmooth and pointed. 

 They are not only furrounded with rings, but 

 furrowed longitudinally. The rings mark the 

 years of growth, and they are commonly from 

 twelve to thirteen in number. The antilopes 

 in general, and this fpecies in particular, have a 

 crreat refemblance to the roebuck in hVure, na- 

 tural functions, nimblenefs of movement, viva- 

 city, largenefs of the eyes, &c. And, as the 

 roebuck exifts not in the countries inhabited 

 by the antilope, we would atfirft be led to con- 

 clude, that it is only a degenerated roebuck, or 

 that the roebuck is an antilope whole nature 

 has been changed by the effects of climate and 

 food. But the antilopes differ from the roebuck 

 in the fubflance of their horns. Thofe of the 

 roebuck are a kind of folid ivpod, which falls off 

 and is renewed annually, like that of the ftag. 

 The horns of the antilopes, on the contrary, are 

 hollow and permanent, like thofe of the goat. 

 Befides, the roebuck has no gall-bladder. The 

 antilopes, as well as the roebucks, have hollows 

 before the eyes. They refcmble each other ftill 

 more in the quality of the hair, in the white- 

 nefs of the buttocks, and in the tufts on their 1 

 legs: but, in the roebuck, thefe tufts are on the 

 hind-legs, and on the fore legs of the antilopes. 

 Hence the antilopes feem to be intermediate 



animals 



