THE LIFE OF MAMMALS 
snow-white; the legs from the knee downwards also white, and as fine as 
though carved from ivory; the hoof, beautifully shaped, tapers to a sharp 
point. The head of the buck is ornamented by gracefully curved, annu- 
lated horns, perfectly black, and generally from nine to twelve inches long 
on the bend; the eye is the well-known perfection — the full, large, soft, 
and jet-black eye of the gazelle.” 
These gazelles are numerous in twos and threes all over Egypt, 
Arabia, and Syria, and in the summer become comparatively 
tame in the oases. Young ones are frequently caught (and 
make hepcuine pets) as they come to the springs to drink in 
very hot weather; 
then also they feed 
on juicy plants and 
scrub, and visit the 
crops at night. At 
other times they 
will lie absolutely 
quiet while a man 
or a caravan passes 
not far away; and 
doubtless hundreds 
so resting are not 
seen at all, or are mistaken for a heap of stones. Like all 
gazelles, too, they will stand motionless for some time when 
they first see a person approaching, so that a man moving 
very quietly may often walk within easy rifle range before they 
take to that swift, ground-skimming gait graphically spoken of 
s “flight.” A more sportsmanlike way of getting them than 
by shooting is to course them with greyhounds, or falcons, or 
both. Ordinary dogs they regard with contempt, and are 
caught by jackals only by the cleverness of these hounds of the 
desert in working in relays which head off and turn the game 
until it is exhausted. Even a pack of the best greyhounds 
often fail. 
DORCAS GAZELLES. 
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