166 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



in structure, instead of being honeycombed like those 

 of the sheep, goats, and oxen. The usual number 

 possessed by an individual is two, but in the male 

 chousingha or four-horned antelope of India two 

 pairs are present ; the front ones, which are fre- 

 quently little more than knobs, arising above the 

 creature's eyes ; and the back ones, which attain 

 to a length of about four or five inches, growing 

 from the summit of the skull. The female is horn- 

 less. 



The oryx antelopes are endowed with remarkably 

 long and lance-like horns which may measure 

 nearly four feet in length. They are common to 

 both sexes, and are generally almost straight in 

 alignment, although those of the sabre-horned 

 oryx take a gentle backward curve throughout then* 

 length. Their basal halves are encircled with 

 raised ridges, but the terminal halves are perfectly 

 smooth and end in sharp points which render the 

 appendages of such a formidable nature that their 

 owners have been known to overcome a lion in 

 combat. 



Several species of antelopes, such as the eland 

 and the koodoos, possess spirally-twisted horns ; but 

 in the latter then- presence is confined to the males, 

 whereas both sexes of the former carry them. 

 Mention must be made of the sable antelope and 

 the closely- allied roan antelope, the males and 

 females of which are endowed with long recurved 

 horns. When fighting, the animals kneel down upon 

 the ground and attack their adversaries by taking 

 sweeping blows at them with their piercing wea- 



