KUNOL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAB. BAND 48. N:0 5. 173 



intend to describe at another opportunity, can be, and is more simply built than in 

 any other antelope of, or above its size. 



The Gerenuks which I shot had their stomachs filled with green leaves and a 

 kind of berries which were of the size of pease and grew erect on the branches of a 

 thorny bush. In the centre was a hard seed, and between that and the skin a white 

 or transparent aromatic and resinous substance. 



Oryx beisa annectens (Hollister). 



Hollistek: Smithson. Misc. Coll. "Washington 1910, Yol. 56, nr. 2, p. 7. 



Hollister has recently described (1. c.) the Oryx-Antelope of the Laikipia 

 Plateau as a new species under the name of Oryx annectens. The distinguishing 

 characteristics with regard to the colour are said to be » lateral stripe narrower » than 

 in the true Oryx beisa »and head markings somewhat approaching those of 0. callotis^. 



The four specimens of Oryx which I was allowed to shoot on my license were 

 obtained south of Guaso Nyiri river near its tributary Lekiundu river and near the 

 ford on the Marsabit road. These specimens differ from the typical Oryx beisa and 

 agree better with Hollister's 0. annectens, but the characteristics are to some extent 

 variable, as will be set forth below, so that I can only admit subspecific rank to ^0. 

 annectens ». 



Hollister's type of »0. annectens» is said to have the lateral stripes ^reduced 

 to narrow streaks from 8 mm. wide in the middle to 10 mm. wide near the post- 

 erior end». In my specimens as well it is often only 8 mm. wide in the middle but 

 widens posteriorly in one specimen to 20, in another to 25, in the third to 20, resp. 

 25 on the other side, and in the fourth to 25 and 30 mm. resp. 



My specimens are thus not so widely different from the typical 0. beisa as 

 Hollister's type of 0. annectens, although the difference still is perceptible. The 

 situation of the lateral stripe with regard to the general colouring of the body is as 

 described by Hollister. 



The markings of the head appear, however, to offer better characteristics. The 

 stripe through the eye extends higher up to the top of the head, and is also pro- 

 longed downwards so that it joins the black throat stripe in all four specimens (only 

 in one of Hollister's specimens). This reminds about the pattern of the head of 

 Oryx gazella, and the same is also the case with the broadening of the facial black 

 patch and its extension downwards on the sides of the face so as to actually coalesce 

 with the confluent eye stripe and throat stripe, which takes place in one of my spe- 

 cimens.^ In two others the distance between the lateral tip of the facial patch, and 

 the eye stripe is reduced to 20 — 25 mm., in the fourth it is a little more, viz. 30 

 mm., but scattered black hairs tend to bridge over this interspace in all three spe- 

 cimens. 



^ The same pattern is beautifully illustrated by a photo of an Oryx bull by Roosevelt in his »African 

 Game Trails», p. 270. This specimen appears to have been killed to the north west of Kenia. 



