The Klipspringer 231; 



The Klipspringer (Oreotragus saltator) 



Klip-bok of the Boers ; Kaiiui of the Hottentots ; 'Ligoka of the 

 Zulus, Swazis, and Matonga ; Mokabayane of the Bechuanas ; 

 Ee-go-go of the Matabele ; Ikoko of the Kaffirs ; Ikwni of the 

 Basuto ; Ingululu of the Makalakas ; Kiilulu of Masarwa 

 Bushmen. 



This quaint little mountain -loving antelope has well been styled the 

 chamois of Africa. Its fur is of singular texture, almost bristly, each hair 

 being hollow ; it lies thickly and closely on the body, but is unquestionably 

 cool and light. These bristle-hairs are so loosely set, that, if a dead 

 specimen is carelessly handled, they come out in handfuls, while a bullet- 

 hole invariably leaves an ugly mark. Each hair is pale gray at the base, 

 brown in the middle, and yellow at the tip, thereby imparting a singular 

 stippled effect and a shade of olive -yellow to the whole fur. The ears are 

 large for so small an animal — 4 inches in length, — the sub-orbital gland 

 large, muzzle naked, hoofs small, short, and deeply hollowed. It is stated 

 that these antelopes can stand with all four feet on a crown piece, and I 

 think this quite possible. The horns — which only the males carry — rise 

 vertically from the skull, with a slight forward bend, and are ringed 

 at the base ; 4 inches is a good average length. My largest pair 

 measures $\ inches. The adult rams stand 22 inches at the shoulder, the 

 ewes 18 to 19 inches. The rams utter a shrill whistle when alarmed, but 

 I am not sure if the ewes do also. Although I have seen no reference to 

 the subject elsewhere, it is perhaps worth recording that in all specimens of 

 this antelope which I have either shot or seen north of the Zambesi, the ears 

 were longer by % inch than in the southern form, while in none ot the 

 latter are the black ear-markings, outside and inside, or the black tips, so 

 clearly defined. 



