504 



THE CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS. 



to Europe and the same animal anciently was some- 

 times kept in captivity in India itself. The Nyl- 

 ghau is one of the most noticeable species of the 

 whole sub-family on account of its shape and color, 

 and appears in a certain way to be intermediary 

 between Deer and Ox. The horns, which adorn 

 both sexes, are nearly erect, of conical shape, gently 

 curving in the form of a crescent and from eight to 

 ten inches in length; those of the female are much 

 shorter or may be altogether absent. The prevail- 

 ing color is a roan — a mixture of dark brown and 

 ashy gray, with a faint bluish tint. The fore part of 

 the under surface, the fore legs and the outer sur- 

 face of the hind legs are blackish-gray, the hind 

 legs black, the middle and hinder part of the under 

 surface and the inner faces of the thighs are white. 

 Two transverse stripes of the same hue run across 

 the lower portions of the legs, surrounding the pas- 

 tern joint like a ring; a large, crescent-shaped patch 

 marks the throat. Old females are of a more fallow, 

 often deer-like, gray-brown hue. Adult bucks attain 

 3l total length of from eight feet to eight feet eight 

 inches, from eighteen to twenty inches of this be- 

 ing included in the tail; the height at the shoulders 

 ranges between fifty-two and fifty-six inches. The 

 animal is indigenous to India, ranging from the foot 

 of the Himalayas to Maisur. 



The Nylghau does not usually prefer mountainous 

 regions, but sometimes inhabits them, provided they 

 are overgrown with light woods and not very dense 

 jungles. Occasionally it also enters the open, bush- 

 grown country, if it is not entirely devoid of water, 

 for, as Sterndale assures us, it drinks every day. 

 Generally one sees these animals in herds of from 

 six to twenty in number, but old bucks sometimes 

 lead a solitary life. Nothing else is known of their 

 life in the free state, except that they graze less dur- 

 ing the night than in the morning and evening hours 

 and rest during the hottest part of the day. 



The movements of the Nylghau are somewhat 

 peculiar on account of the queer attitudes which the 

 animal assumes. Its ordinary pace is similar to that 

 of other Antelopes, but as soon as it becomes ex- 

 cited, it arches its back, draws in its neck and creeps 

 slowly along, casting gloomy looks about through 

 half closed eyes. The tail is then drawn in between 

 the legs. In full flight the bearing of the Nylghau 

 is stately and dignified and affords a handsome 

 spectacle, especially if the animal lifts its tail erect 

 in the air. 



The hunt of the Nylghau is not a sport of which 

 European sportsmen are passionately fond; the 

 hunter usually approaches cautiously and shoots 

 down the largest and nearest buck, or pursues it on 

 horseback, for it is not very difficult" to overtake, if 

 it be pursued hotly from the very beginning and 

 made to exhaust itself more rapidly. The subjects 

 of Indian princes have from remote times taken 

 great pleasure in presenting this species of Antelope 

 to their lords and masters; it therefore may yet be 

 seen in parks owned by aristocrats. In 1767 only 

 the first pair were taken to England, and at the close 

 of the century others came to France, Holland and 

 Germany. At present the Nylghau is seen in nearly 

 all European and American zoological gardens, 

 where it propagates seasonably and regularly. 



FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE. 



Before we leave India to return to Africa, the 

 ■country most abounding in Antelopes, we will call 

 to mind one of the most remarkable species of the 



whole family, nay, of all Ruminants, the Four-horned 

 Antelope (Tetraceros quadricomis) . Among the do- 

 mesticated Ruminants we may sometimes find indi- 

 viduals possessed of four or even eight horns; but 

 they are never at the foundation of a distinct spe- 

 cies, but rather to be regarded as singular exceptions 

 or freaks of nature. No other wild animal shows 

 a growth of horns similar to that of this Antelope. 

 Thus it stands completely isolated, at least so far as 

 our pi-esent experience extends. 



The Four-horned Antelope is a small, dainty ani- 

 mal. Its length amounts to from twenty-eight to 

 thirty-two inches, the tail measuring nearly five 

 inches of this total. The height at the withers varies 

 between twenty-four and twenty-six inches. The 

 female is hornless. Of the horns of the buck the 

 fore pair are set on above the inner corners of the 

 eyes, and incline slightly backward; the hinder pair 

 are plaped above the outer corners of the eyes, 

 slightly curved forward and are ringed at the base 

 and smooth at the tip. The hinder pair may be 

 from four to five inches long, the fore pair rather 

 rhore than an inch or an inch and a half in length. 

 The animal is apparently found throughout all 

 India, being quite frequent in places where wooded 

 or bush-grown hills afford it a compatible abode, 

 and it lives either singly or in pairs. 



THE BUSH-BUCKS. 



Under the name of Bush-bucks {Cephalolophus) 

 we comprise several small species, with short horns 

 which are straight or slightly curved forward, and 

 are usually borne only by the males, but sometimes 

 are also developed in the female. There is a furrow 

 between eye and nose, and a long tuft of hair be- 

 tween the horns, which may be erected at will. 



The Duyher The Duyker or Diver ( Cephalolophus 

 or Diver An- mergens) is one of the largest species 

 telope. of the group. It attains a length of 



forty-four inches, of which about eight inches are 

 included in the tail; the height at the shoulders is 

 twenty-two inches. Its straight, awl-shaped horns 

 show from four to six not very prominent rings and 

 attain an average length of from three to four and in 

 some rare cases five inches; they nearly disappear 

 among the hair of the tuft when that appendage is 

 erected by the animal. The color is very variable, 

 but generally is a grayish olive tint on the upper 

 surface, or dark yellow-brown in case of the male, 

 fading into white on the under surface. The animal 

 mainly inhabits south Africa, where it is still com- 

 mon in forests of trees of second growth or of small 

 underbrush. 



The Duyker is one of the first Antelopes a new- 

 comer meets in Cape Colony, as it inhabits the 

 thickets of bushes along the sea-coaBt in probably 

 greater numbers than are to be found in the wooded 

 inland country. Like all smaller or dwarf-like Ante^ 

 lopes, one meets it either singly or in pairs. It is 

 never seen outside of the bushes in which it habit- 

 ually conceals itself. 



"At the approach of a Man or some other enemy," 

 says Drayson, " it will lie still, watching him atten- 

 tively, until it is sure that it is discovered. It will 

 then jump up and start off, making a series of sharp 

 turns and plunges resembling the motions of a diver, 

 sometimes over bushes and at others through them. 

 It crouches and crawls in the long grass or bet^uieen 

 the bushes, so softly as to make the pursuer think, 

 it has disappeared or lain down. But the latter sup- 

 position is never correct, foi the Duyker simply pro- 



