ANTELOPES AND DEER 109 



DIK-DIK ANTELOPE. This small Antelope (Fig. 82) has a short 

 tail and a tuft of hair on the crown of the head. It haunts the bush 

 in the east and north-east parts of Africa, but more than two or 

 three are rarely seen together. There are several species, but all 

 may be regarded as rare in captivity. 



NAGOR ANTELOPE. This is another small Antelope (Fig. 83) 

 with horns seldom longer than six inches. It is a West African 

 beast and is closely allied, if not identical with, the South African 

 Antelope known as the Roi Rhebok. The long, coarse hair is 

 reddish-brown on the upper parts, the under parts being white. 

 Only the male has horns, and the small, upright pair possessed by 

 the animal are well shown in Fig. 83. 



NILGAI. Leaving the great African continent for the present, 

 we now make acquaintance with the Nilgai (Fig. 84). This is the 

 largest Antelope of Asia, having short, untwisted horns, and these 

 are possessed only by the male. The latter is iron-grey in colour, 

 but the cow is quite different, being light fawn or yellow generally, 

 but with white markings as in the bull. The reader will probably 

 be struck with the fact that the Nilgai is very unlike an Antelope. 

 Such is the case, for in size it about equals a Pony, and there is, 

 as Mr. Finn says, "something very Horse-like about its general 

 appearance, although the kind of Horse it suggests is a very badly- 

 shaped one." 



This Antelope is an inhabitant of India, and whilst it does not 

 resort to the dense forest it is usually found where there is some 

 amount of cover. It travels about in small companies, feeding upon 

 leaves, grass, wild fruits, etc., and is said to be very destructive to 

 the crops of the natives. Mr. Finn says that among the Hindoos 

 "it is a sacred animal, simply because its name means ' Blue Cow,' 

 so that the sanctity of the bovine race has been absurdly transferred 

 to it. Mohammedans, of course, will eat its flesh readily enough, 

 but it is not much hunted by European sportsmen, because no one 

 cares much about possessing a head with such insignificant horns. 

 It thus comes about that the Nilgai is probably less hunted than 

 any other animal of the size ; but, of course, it has natural enemies 

 to reckon with in the shape of Tigers, Dholes and other carnivores." 

 The cow is the swifter traveller of the two sexes, and whilst 

 she will gallop straight away from her pursuers, the bull can be 

 ridden down if he is pressed hard at the commencement of the 

 chase. 



