238 Great and Small Game of Africa 



3 feet from tip of nose to end of tail. The horns were a little over 3 inches 

 long, straight, and smooth, inclined forwards, and slightly ringed at the 

 base. The female has no horns. The hair is harsh and coarse, light at 

 the root, a dark brown in the middle, and tipped with yellow. The hair 

 is very elastic and is said to make good stuffing for saddles. The hoofs are 

 deeply cupped and the pastern bones very upright. I always saw these 

 animals either alone or in pairs. When alarmed they stamp the ground and 

 utter a sound something like a loud sneeze. They are easy to stalk if you 

 see them before they see you, but usually one suddenly comes upon them 

 within shot ; as they bolt they will often stop for a few seconds on the top 

 of a boulder to look back. J. D. Inveraritv. 



THE ORIBIS 

 Genus Oribia 



The oribis are the largest representatives of the Neotragina, and, in 

 common with the following genera, have the hair and hoofs of normal form 

 and structure. The extremity of the muzzle is naked, and the crown of 

 the head carries no tuft of hair. As special characteristics of the oribis 

 may be noticed the existence of a bare glandular spot beneath each ear, the 

 presence of lateral hoofs, and the large size of the pits in the skull for the 

 reception of the face-glands. Tufts of hair are developed on the knees, 

 and the short tail has generally a black tip. The horns, which are about 

 one-fourth shorter than the skull, slant backwards, and show considerable 

 specific variation in the degree of development of the basal ridging. 



The latter feature admits of the division of the species into two groups, 

 as follows : — 



A. The horns relatively slender, slightly ridged for about the basal 

 2 inches. 



