4 DR. J. MURIK ON AN AFRICAN ANTELOPE. [Jan. 10, 



ance, and, while saving the life of his servant, perished himself in 

 the attempt. 



Among Harnier's collection of objects transmitted to Germany 

 were two skins of a large Antelope. One of these has been mounted, 

 and now forms an elegant specimen in the Ducal Museum of Darm- 

 stadt ; and as this specimen possesses some interest from its proba- 

 bly representing or being closely allied to an animal shot by our 

 lamented countryman the late Capt. Speke in Uganda* (the head 

 and horns of which are deposited in the British Museum), I have 

 ventured to bring the following notice of them before our Society. 



I am indebted to Prof. Dr. Kaup for permission to examine the 

 stuiFed and dried skins ; and the very accurate water-colour drawing 

 which I here exhibit to the Meeting is due to the artistic efforts of 

 his skilled assistant and conservator, F. Kerz of Darmstadt. The 

 accompanying lithographic plate (PI. II.) is a reduced copy of that 

 drawing, and demonstrates more clearly than would a description 

 the appearance of the animal. 



It will be seen that in the general aspect of the form and coloi'a- 

 tion it approaches nearly to the Waterbuck {Kobus Mipsiprymnus) ; 

 but it wants the whitish elliptical band over the croup and hips, so 

 peculiar to that species ; while this specimen has lightish-coloured 

 rings above the hoofs, which is not the case in K. eUipsiprynnius. 

 \\\ other respects, as to horns and the umber-brown tint of the hair, 

 the two bear a close resemblance. 



('om[)ared with Ruppell's description and figure t of Antilope de- 

 fatsa it agrees completely. But as Dr. Gray (P. Z. S. 1850, p. 131, 

 and Knowsley Menagerie, 15) considers the A. defassa of Riippell 

 to be but a synonym of his Kobus sing-sing, Harnier's Antelope 

 therefore would thus come under the latter appellation. 



Moreover, from my own examination of a living K. sing- sing in 

 the Antwerp Zoological Gardens (labelled Antilope unctuosa, Laur., 

 a synonym), and two stuffed specimens in the British Museum, 

 together with the head brought from Uganda by Capt. Speke iden- 

 tified with K. sing-sing by Dr. Sclater J, I confess, although at first 

 having some misgivings as to the identity of the two White-Nile 

 specimens in Darmstadt with the Sing-Sing of West Africa, that I 

 cannot adduce proof of their separateness, but rather evidence of 

 their specific affinity. 



The peculiar greasy-like cuticular transpiration in the living Sing- 

 sing, well named A. unctuosa by Lauriliard, was a point which at 

 first particularly struck me ; for in both skins in the Darmstadt Mu- 

 seum, there is neither to the touch nor look any appearance or rem- 

 nant of such a secretion, whereas in the mounted specimens in the 

 British Museum, and even in the head from Uganda, this character 

 is to a certain extent notable. The cause of this secretion may be 

 worthy of investigation ; it is so copious in the live animal that the 



* Journal of tlie Discovery of the Source of the Nile, 1863, p. 4/1. 

 t ' Neue Wirbeltlilere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehorig' (1835-10), Siiugc- 

 thierc, vol. i. p. 0, pi. 3. 



X Fi-ined in ' I'nx;. Zool. Sor.' 1864, p. 102. 



