ORDER RUMINANTIA. 345 



Impatoo, the Cameleopard, and Nome, both an Ox and a 

 Gnoo. 



The very aspect of the animals is indeed sufficient to 

 point out the probability of their being totally distinct 

 from Antilope ; but upon closer examination, especially of 

 the spoils which usually are seen in Europe, we confess 

 that it is very difficult to establish characters sufficiently 

 general, to justify the proposal of a new genus. We found, 

 however, that the species intended to be included within it, 

 are all of a large or above a middle stature ; that the in- 

 terscapular or first vertebrae of the back are usually much 

 elevated above the rest of the spine, and the posterior ex- 

 tremities more or less shortened when compared with the 

 anterior ; the horns, placed on or even above the ridge of 

 the frontals, have within the osseous nucleus or core, a con- 

 siderable cavity, communicating, in all the species we have 

 been able to examine, externally, by a sinus which passes 

 under the horny substance, nearly opposite the root of the 

 ear*. The head is long and heavy ; the neck rather short 

 in proportion, with something like a constrained arching ; 

 the throat and neck with more or less mane and beard, 

 hanging* in a tuft, or loose along a true or partial dewlap ; 

 the tail descends to the houghs, being terminated by a 

 large tuft ; the legs, though well proportioned, are heavier, 

 the animals more unwieldly and less swift than Antelopes, 

 and their form gives them a particular mode of standing 

 with the haunches under them. One of the species only is 

 noted for spirit and fierceness. Although the compound 

 name Acronotus might best designate the obvious external 

 character of the groups in this genus, it has been thought 

 advisable to propose that of Damalis f , because in the 



* Naturalists well know the difficulty attending researches 

 which are supposed to injure the specimens ; here the saw is abso- 

 lutely necessary. 



t A«ji*aAK, vacca, Juvenca ; a*fo?, alius ; vurov, scapula. 



Vol. IV. 3 A 



