OR GAZELLES. 411 



Pliny*, that the dama was found only in Africa. 

 In fine, from the teftimony of other ancient au- 

 thors f, we fee that the dama was a timid, gentle 

 animal, and had no other refources but in the 

 fwiftnefs of its courfe. The animal defcribed 

 and engraven by Caius, under the name of dama 

 Plhiii, being found, according to the teftimony 

 of the fame author, in the North of Great Bri- 

 tain and in Spain, could not be the dama of 

 Pliny, fince he tells us that it was only to be 

 met with in Africa J. Befides, the animal drawn 

 by Cains has a beard like a goat ; but none of 

 the ancients mention the dama as having a beard. 

 Hence I am led to think, that the dama defcri- 

 bed by Caius is only a goat, whofe horns being 

 a little bended at the points, like thofe of the 

 common antilope, made him imagine it to be 

 the dama of the ancients. Befides, the horns 

 bended forward, which is the diftinguifhing cha- 

 racter of the dama of the ancients, are well mark- 

 ed in the nanguer of Africa only. We are like- 

 wife informed by M. Adanfon, that there are three 



varieties 



* Sunt et damae, et pygargi, et ftrepficerotes. Hacc 



tranfmarini fitus mittunt ; Hijl. Nat. lib. 8. cap. 5$. 



f Horace, Virgil, Martial, &c. 



\ Haec icon Damae ell quam ex caprarum genere indicat 

 pilus, aruncus, figura corporis atque cornua, nifi quod his in 

 adverfum adunca, cum caeteris in averfum acta fint. Caprae 



magnitudine eft dama et colore Dorcadis Eft amicus 



quidam meus Anglus, qui mini certa fide retulit in partibus 

 Britanniae feptentrionalibus earn reperiri, fed adventitiam, 

 Vidit is apud nobilem quemdam cui dono dabatur ; accepi 

 a quibufdam earn in Hifpania nafci ; Caius et Gefner, bifi. quad. 



