186/.] DR. J. JVIURIE ON AN AFRICAN ANTELOPE. 3 



1. Remarks on an Antelope from the White Nile, allied to or 

 identical Avitli the Kobus sing-sing of Gray. By James 

 MuRiE, M.D., F.G.S., Prosector to the Society. 



(Plate II.) 



Before entering into the subject of the present paper, I feel it my 

 duty to pay a slight tribute to the memory of a noble-minded and 

 gallant, although little-known, White-Nile traveller, the Baron Wil- 

 helm von Harnier, a native of Hesse Darmstadt. 



Having planned a journey into Central Africa, for the double pur- 

 pose of hunting and collecting objects of natural history, to enrich 

 the Museum of the capital of his native Duchy, he proceeded, at his 

 own expense, by way of Egypt and Nubia to Khartoum, where, after 

 a brief sojourn, he embarked in a native boat with hunters and stores 

 for land travel, and started on an expedition up the White Nile. 

 Possessing great inherent talent as an artist, and a fair share of 

 information as a naturalist, Baron Harnier sketched with truly scenic 

 effect the inhabitants, country, and animals of the region which he 

 was exploring. Unfortunately for the interests of zoology and geo- 

 graphy, death snatched him off too early in his career ; nevertheless 

 he had already produced sufficient material in portfolios of drawings 

 and notes to enable his brother (Baron von Harnier, of Ehzel, 

 Hesse) to give to the world a posthumous volume, ' Reise am Oberu 

 Nil,' 1865. This work, almost unknown in our country, forms (I 

 can safely say from personal knowledge of that river) the most 

 splendid volume of its kind, so far as truthful plates are concerned, 

 delineating the peculiar scenery and savage tribes bordwing the 

 White Nile. Notwithstanding the successful journeys and works of 

 our daring and enterprising fellow-countrymen Captains Speke and 

 Grant, Sir Samuel Baker, and others, I have no hesitation in saying 

 that Baron Harnier's posthumous volume will carry down to poste- 

 rity a more vivid impression of the Nile valley and its inhabitants, 

 just previously to the sweeping away of its savagery and the intro- 

 duction of semicivilization through the hordes of Arab and Egyptian 

 adventurers, than any book yet published on the subject. 



As, however, I do not mean to give a memoir of his life, I shall 

 further merely allude to the sad manner of his death, as evincing a 

 degree of courage highly creditable to the German nation. He had 

 spent but a few months in slowly ascending the stream, and reached 

 the Kytch and Aliab country, between lat. 6° and 7° N., where he 

 made a stay at the Catholic Mission Station, enjoying the hospi- 

 tality of Herr Morlang, a native of the Tyrol. One morning he 

 went oif to shoot buffalos, when a wounded animal rushed at the 

 hunters (as these creatures are often wont when badly hurt and 

 unable to get away), singling out and attacking a poor Arab at- 

 tendant, who ran imminent chance of a cruel death without any 

 succour from his frightened fellow-servants. But the Baron, brave 

 and generous to a fault, dashed with unloaded gun to his assist- 



