The Beira 



.77 



is found any farther south I am not certain. Except rarely on the Taru 

 desert, it is not, so far as I am aware, met with anywhere on the road to 

 Uganda ; but in the barren scrub near the Sabaki I have seen it once or 

 twice, and when once the Upper Tana is crossed it is common through all 

 the arid country northwards as far as the north end of Lake Rudolf, and in 

 some parts on the east coast of that lake is more numerous than I have seen 

 it anywhere else. 



It does not commonly mix with other antelopes, its habits being so 

 different. The only evidence I have as to its breeding time is the fact that 

 I came upon a quite freshly-born fawn in the month of December. 



A. H. Neumann. 



THE BEIRA 



Although approximating in external appearance to the dik-diks, the 

 little Somali beira (D. megalotis) is considered to be probably a more or less 

 distant cousin of the gazelles and their allies, from all of which it differs bv 

 the short and perfectly straight horns of the males. 



The Beira (Dorcotragus megalotis) 

 Beira or Baira of the Somalis 



The beira is something between the klipspringer and the oribi. In 

 general shape, habits, and habitat it closely resembles the former. Both 

 are found living in the hills, and have very much the same habit of 

 bounding about the rocks like an indiarubber ball ; but the shape of the 

 feet is quite different, and the horns, too, are easily distinguishable. The 

 beira's colour is a peculiar shade of light slate-blue — what we call in 

 3 c 



