Wild Beasts and Their Ways 200 
ox-like of existing cavicorns outside the bovine sub-family; while the most primitive of 
existing oxen is the little anoa of Celebes (see page 211). In this animal the horns are 
triangular in section, somewhat flattened, perfectly straight and directed backwards, with 
perhaps vestiges of annulations. Some of the heavier capricorns also come very near 
to the bovine type, and as from these are obviously descended the sheep and goats 
and the musk ox, this basal position of the capricorns may possibly explain resemblances 
to the bovines in the sheep. On the whole, the most primitive of the Cavicorns at the 
present day are the Cephalophine and Neotragine antelopes, the Nilgai, the Buffaloes, 
and perhaps certain Capricorns. 
The tragelaphines proper are confined in their present range of distribution to Africa 
south of the Sahara, but they were formerly found in southern Europe, northern Africa, 
and western Asia, thus connecting their range anciently with the present distribution of 
the Nilgai. With the exception of the eland bongo and northern kudu, horns are 
present only in the male. As already mentioned, thei horns are distinguished by their 
spiral growth. This is least developed in the genus Tragelaphus, where there are barely 
two turms—sometimes only one and a-half. In one species of Limnotragus there are two 
and a-half turns, as is also the case with the eland. In the adult horns of the kudu 
there are three turns. Their molar teeth have short crowns, and only exhibit in the 
upper jaw a beginning of the accessory column which is met with in the oxen and in 
the nilgai. They are divided at the present time into the genera of Tragelaphus, 
Limnotragus, Strepsiceros, and Tawrotragus. The genus Tragelaphus includes a great 
many species, fresh ones beimg constantly discovered in the opening-up of Africa. At 
present there are at least seven. These include the relatively small bushbuck of South 
and Hast Africa, and the beautifully-painted Harnessed antelope of West and Central 
Africa (nm which the white tragelaphine markings almost attaim a maximum of develop- 
ment), the splendidly handsome Inyala (Tvragelaphus angasi), which ranges in its scattered 
distribution from Zululand up the region of the Great Lakes possibly to near the 
Victoria Nyanza, and the bulky, Broad-horned tragelaph or Bongo (Z. ewryceros) of the 
forest region of West Africa and of the Uganda Protectorate. The ground colour of the 
tragelaphs of this genus is a golden red-brown, which is the colour always exhibited by the 
females and young, with bold markings in black and white. In the females of many species 
there is a sharply-drawn jet black line all down the centre of the back, from the nape of 
the neck to the tail. This line in the broad-horned tragelaph is half black (along the 
withers) and half white in the male. In the inyala it becomes nearly white throughout 
in the male, but expands mto a broad black streak from the base to the tip of the 
tail. Most of these antelopes have the chevrons of 
white from the corners of the eyes across the base 
of the nose. The tendency of the males, however, of 
most of the genera is to assume a much greyer or 
blacker coat when they reach maturity. The males of 
the South, and some of the Kast African bushbucks, 
almost entirely lose the tragelaphine spots and stripes 
when they reach maturity. There is a good deal of 
black also mingled with the red-brown coat of the 
beautiful harnessed antelope, a creature which ought 
positively to have a temple erected to it. Angas’s 
tragelaph—the Inyala—is heavily maned all down the 
throat and along the sides of the body and hind 
quarters. The lmbs in the male are a_ bright = 
reddish-fawn, in abrupt contrast to the blue-grey and 220% by WV P. Dando. 
nes : SELOUS'’ TRAGHLAPH 
black body and mane and the vivid white markings (Limnotragus selo si). 
