AFRICAN ANTELOPES. 2S3 



"weight to the diminutive bluebiick of 8 lbs. or 

 9 lbs. weight and twelve inches high. 



Some of these varieties are confined to a 

 particular range of rocky mountains, the banks 

 of a particular river, or a particular series of 

 flats ; in other places as many as six varieties 

 may be seen at one coiq^ d'oeil, and as many as 

 ten or twelve in the course of a morning's ride. 

 Of several varieties which inhabit the vast Kali- 

 hari Desert, some do not drink above once in 

 three or four days, and others are never known 

 to drink at all. The whole of these antelopes, 

 although differing more or less in size, colour, 

 shape, horns, and habits, have strong points of 

 resemblance to one another, first in groups or 

 classes, and then altogether. Some of them are 

 so nearly alike to another variety that no two 

 people, either amongst naturalists or amongst 

 the colonists and inhabitants, seem to be agreed 

 whether these very similar varieties constitute 

 separate species or not. 



Now, will any man attempt to make me 

 believe that ectch and all of these numerous 

 varieties (or species) of antelopes were origi- 

 nally brought into being separately and dis- 

 tinctly as we see them now ? That one variety 

 was specially created for this petty locality, 



