THE ARIEL. 619 



gravitation. When it is alarmed, and runs with its fullest speed, it lays 

 its head back so that the nose projects forward, while the horns lie 

 almost as far back as the shoulders, and then skims over the ground with 

 such marvellous celerity that it seems rather to fly than to run, and can- 

 not be overtaken even by the powerful, long-legged, and long-bodied 

 greyhounds which are employed in the chase by the native hunters. 



When the Gazelle is hunted for the sake of the sport, the falcon i . 

 called to the aid of the greyhound, for without such assistance no one 

 could catch an Ariel in fair chase. As soon as the falcon is loosed from 

 its jesses, it marks out its intended prey, and overpassing even the swift 

 limbs by its swifter wings, speedily overtakes it, and swoops upon its 

 head. Rising from the attack, it soars into the air for another swoop, 

 and by repeated assaults bewilders the poor animal so completely that it 

 falls an easy prey to the greyhound, which is trained to wait upon the 

 falcon, and watch its flight. 



When, however, the Gazelle is hunted merely for the sake of its flesh 

 and skin, a very different mode is pursued. Like all wild animals, the 

 Gazelle is in the habit of marking out some especial stream or fountain, 

 whither it resorts daily for the purpose of quenching its thirst. Near 

 one of these watering-spots the hunters build a very large inclosure, 

 sometimes nearly a mile and a half square, the walls of which are made 

 of loose stones, and are too high even for the active Gazelle to surmount. 

 In several parts of the edifice the wall is only a few feet in height, and 

 each of these gaps opens upon a deep trench or pit. A herd of Gazelles 

 is quietly driven toward the inclosure, one side of which is left open, and 

 being hemmed in by the line of hunters, the animals are forced to enter 

 its fatal precincts. As the pursuers continue to press forward with 

 shouts and all kinds of alarming noises, the Gazelles endeavor to escape 

 by leaping over the walls, but can only do so at the gaps, and fall in 

 consequence into the trenches that yawn to receive them. One after 

 another falls into the pit, and in this manner they perish by hundreds at 

 a time. The flesh of the Ariel Gazelle is highly valued, and is made an 

 article of commerce as well as of immediate consumption by the captors. 

 The hide is manufactured into a variety of useful articles. The Ariel is 

 a small animal, measuring only about twenty-one inches in height. 



The Jairou, or common Gazelle of Asia, which is so celebrated by 

 the Persian and other Oriental poets, is ascertained to be a different 

 species from the Dorcas, and may be distinguished from that animal by 



