The Addax 395 



The addax antelope, which is a member of the orygine group, is a 

 much more ungainly-looking animal than its comely relatives the oryxes 

 and hippotragines, but it is little else than the development or" a primitive 

 type of oryx which has acquired a spiral twist to its horns. Both sexes are 

 horned. The horns of the female are nearly equally long with those of 

 the male, but are much more slender and only exhibit one and a half turns, 

 whereas horns of the adult male give two and a half turns, and in some 

 rare cases even three. The horns are marked with regular annulations, 

 less developed than in the roan and sable antelopes, but more so than in 

 the oryxes. A fine pair of male horns in my possession measure 28 inches 

 in a straight line from base to tip, and 31 inches measured along the curve. 

 A large pair of female horns, also obtained by me from the south of Tunis, 

 measure 27^ inches from base to tip in a straight line, and 30^ inches 

 along the curve. The adult male addax is from 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches high 

 at the shoulder, the females being slightly smaller. The male develops a 

 very thick growth of hair on the shoulders, neck, and throat, a growth 

 which on the lower part of the neck becomes a long mane. Across the 

 upper part of the bridge of the nose there is a well-marked white chevron, 

 which develops on either side of the face into a white tuft bordering the 

 tear-gland. There is a large white spot on the outside of each ear, and the 

 lips are white. The general colour of the body, where the hair is short, is 

 cream-colour or grayish-white, but the thickly-haired fore-quarters and 

 neck are dark brown. A fringe of hair which grows over the body is 

 brownish-black, and the ridge of the nose is pale brown. The tail is 

 fairly long, and tufted with dark brown hair. 



The habitat of the addax would seem to be in the main the Sahara 

 Desert, right across Africa from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. I have 

 seen it stated that the animal is also found in Central Africa, but I 

 cannot say whether there is any accuracy in this statement. It does 

 not seem to penetrate the Soudan beyond the true limits of the desert, 



