Clarke's Gazelle 369 



Neck long, with well-proportioned head and horns ; upper lips rather 

 long and giraffe-like, resembling Waller's gazelle. In fact, the resemblance 

 between these two animals, in regard to face-markings, long lips, glossy 

 coat, texture, and shape of head is remarkable. Evidently these two aber- 

 rant gazelles were designed at the same time. But Waller's, seeing such 

 a graceful antelope in the debotag, felt ashamed of itself, and so trots off 

 with head and neck held straight out in line with body, as if afraid of 

 being seen. A perfect facsimile sketch of Waller's in this act is to be 

 found in Elephant Hunting in East Equatorial Africa, by Arthur H. 

 Neumann, p. 81, which is reproduced at page 375. 



The females are hornless, and are like Waller's in this respect. 



These gazelles live mostly among the mimosa bushes, and browse off 

 them and a bush called jarrn. They also eat durr grass, which grows 

 6 to 8 feet high. 



They are to be found near Ber and Buroa Wells (a short march 

 from either), Habr Gerhagis country ; I believe they have never been 

 seen any closer to the coast. The 45th degree of longitude is about their 

 extreme western limit. They are quite numerous a few hours from 

 Buroa Wells, all through the Haud waterless plateau, down to within half 

 a day of Arderdu Wells, Marehan country, taking a south by east course. 



They are common enough in these parts, but at the same time are 

 very local in their distribution, and from what I saw and heard, their 

 range extends, as it were, in a long narrow belt. They are generally met 

 with in small families from three to five, though I have seen as many 

 as nine. Debotag are found far from water ; in fact, they can live through 

 the greatest drought without any. The females bring forth their young 

 in October and November ; but I do not think in a dry country like 

 Somaliland any fixed time can be set down. I have seen 30 per cent 

 of the bucks rutting in October, and the majority of females bringing 

 forth their young in this month. But it must be remembered that part 

 3 B 



