1894.] SIR E. G. LODER ON THE " REEM" ANTELOPE. 473 



3. On the "Reem" Antelope of! Algeria 1 . By Sir 

 Edmund Giles Loder, Bart., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived June 1, 1894.] 



Seventeen years ago (in 1877) I bought in the bazaar at Biskra 

 several pairs of Gazelle horns. They obviously belonged to three 

 species : Gazella dorcas, called by the Arabs " Bezal " ; Gazella cuvieri, 

 which they call " Admi " ; and a third called " Eeem," which I was 

 not able to identify with any described species. All these horns 

 were 011 frontal bones only. It is very rarely that the Arabs bring 

 in any whole skulls or skins for sale, and 1 have never seen any- 

 thing but frontlets of the " Eeem." 



In 1S91 and again in 1893 I went out to Algeria for the 

 purpose of hunting Mouflon (Ovis tragelaphus). 



In 1877 I had been prevented from going after them except for 

 a few hours at a time. On these later trips I was more successful 

 and secured some flue male Mouflon, a female of the large Moun- 

 tain Gazelle {Gazella cuvieri), and a few specimens of Gazella dorcas. 



At Biskra I again found horns of the Eeem, but got no infor- 

 mation about it except that it was reported to live in the sand. I 

 heard a French name for it for the first time, " Gazelle des Sables." 



As my friend Mr. Alfred Pease was spending a second winter at 

 Biskra and had made the acquaintance of several native hunters, I 

 requested him to try what he could do to find out the habitat of 

 the Eeem. About Christmas-time last year he wrote to me that he 

 believed he had reliable information that the Eeem was to be found 

 in the desert near Chegga, only about 50 kilometres south of Biskra 

 on the caravan-route to Touggourt. 



AVe made arrangements for a camping trip, and I left England 

 on February 1st, and started from Biskra with Mr. and Mrs. Alfred 

 Pease on February 8th of this year. 



After two days' marching we got to Chegga and made inquiries 

 respecting the Eeem. No one seemed to know anything about the 

 animal except one Arab, who said that if we went on farther south 

 we should come to a place called Ain Gebberah, where there were 

 a few Eeem, but if we went on still farther to Hamraia we should 

 find the Eeem in quantities. 



We therefore travelled on for two or three more days until we 

 came to Hamraia, but on making inquiries about the Eeem the 

 answers were very unsatisfactory. We determined, however, before 

 giving up the search, to stay here a day to hunt and see what game 

 there was in this part of the desert. 



In the early morning of the next day Pease started off from 

 camp with an Arab in one direction, while I went off in the other. 

 By the evening we had covered a considerable extent of country and 

 had used our glasses from every available rise in the ground. We 



[ l Gazella loderi, Thomas, above, p. 470. — Ed.] 



