64 THE MAMMALS OF SOMALILAND 



Measurements of an adult male shot near Gidil, Golis 

 Range : 



Head and body 29 in. 



Tail 3 „ 



Height at shoulder 21 „ 



Round body 20 „ 



Horns : 



Length 3tf >"• 



Circumference at base if ,. 



Tip to tip if „ 



Distribution. — The Klipspringer is found at an altitude of 

 3,000 to 6,000 ft. on the Golis Range and Waggar Mountain, the 

 Assa Range, and occasionally on some of the rocky hills at the 

 back of the Golis Range in Ogo-guban. 



Habits. — The agility which it displays when bounding from 

 rock to rock is little short of marvellous ; no spot or ledge of rock 

 seems to be too small for it to find a foothold. It is by no 

 means difficult to approach, owing to the fact that it is 

 extremely inquisitive. If the observer sits down and remains 

 motionless, it will often remain standing and gazing at him, 

 giving vent, periodically, to a peculiar noise, which somewhat 

 resembles the spasmodic blowing of a toy trumpet. On one 

 occasion I sat down and watched, for fully half an hour, a pair 

 with a youngster. They were annoyed when I first surprised them, 

 especially the female, who kept on making the peculiar noise 

 described above, but as soon as she had satisfied herself that I 

 meant no harm, she sat herself down on the ledge of a rock and 

 gazed across the ravine at me. Her example was soon followed by 

 her offspring, but the male, who had all along been trying to hide 

 himself behind the rocks and bushes, having now concluded that he 

 was secure, emerged from behind a bush and remained standing the 

 whole time with his eyes fixed on his mate. They all kept on 

 flicking their ears and shaking their heads as though annoyed by 

 flies. As a matter of fact I have never seen a dead klipspringer 

 whose coat did not harbour a wealth of the irritating dog-flies 

 {hippoboscidcR). It is very easy to tame, and makes a delightful 

 pet, never straying far from the spot where it has been brought up. 

 Like the Gerenuk, some Somalis won't eat the meat of this antelope. 



