334 MR. G. BLAIXE ON THE ZEBRAS 



•Colony, all shot by Mr. Selous — one an old inale, stuffed, in the 

 Public Gallery, and tiie other three stuffed heads of females from 

 which the skulls have recently been removed. 



A desci-iption of the heads will suffice, as the colour and its 

 distribution on the bodies of Springbvicks does not appear to vary. 



The male has no trace of a triangular reddish-fawn patch on 

 the forehead, the face being entirely white. The latei'al cheek- 

 stripes are distinct, but nari'ow and continued above the eyes to 

 the bases of the horns. The eai-s are comparatively small, 

 146 mm. from notch to tip. The horns are basally stout, lyrate, 

 and strongly annulated, iiaving a perceptible spiral tendency 

 which might be termed an interrupted spiral. They rise at an 

 olituse angle with the frontal plane, so that a line drawn per- 

 pendicularly through the centre of the orbits falls within their 

 a,xis. The tips are hooked backwards and inwards. 



Of the females, one is without the triangular fawn frontal 

 patch. The other two show it pale and indistinct. Ear fi'om 

 notch to tip 133 mm. The horns are short, thin, nearly straight, 

 and hooked either forward or forward and inward at the tips, 

 with indistinct annulatioiis. 



In the male the skull is relatively short, wide, and deep, with 

 liorn-pedicles upright. The frontal profile is concave, with promi- 

 nent ends to the nasals. The lacrymal pits are very deep. 

 Basally the palatal surface is convex, and the basioccipital has 

 greater breadth and length. The skulls of the females are 

 similar in character. 



Comparative measurements in millimetres of the skulls of male 

 and female Springbucks from the Orange River Colony and from 

 Angola : — 



O.R.C. Ai]a:ola O.R.C. Angola 



S. <?. ?. ?. 



B.M. 110. B.M. no. B.M. no. B.M.no. 



98.11. 20.4.27. 19.7.15. 20.4.27. 



28.8. 32. 336. 34. 



Greatest length 220 240 220 223 



breadth 95 105 99 95 



Vertical depth 98 98 90 87 



Nasals 75 87 73 83 



Premaxilk-e 71 79 76 77 



Basioccipital surface 22x27 25x25 — 27x23 



Upper tooth-row 65 70 63 65 



Length of horns in inches... 12| 13 7| 11^ 



A staffed head of a male from N. Kalahari in the Selous col- 

 lection resem.bles the Angolan Springbuck in size, length of face, 

 and in having the frontal patch and the horns more nearly in line 

 with the frontal plane. B.M. no. 19.7.15.333. 



A female from N. Bechuanaland in the same collection shows 

 the same characters as the above, and has long, straight horns, 

 hooked slightly inwards at the tips, but not so perfectly annulated 

 as in the Angolan females. B.M. no. 19.7.15.334. 



