428 WILD ANIMALS. 



for it is found frequently represented on the monuments of 

 Egypt and Nubia, noticeably in the inner chamber of the great 

 Pyramid at Memphis, where a number of them are to be seen 

 being driven or led by the horns, or by a cord round the neck, 

 and form part of the tribute levied, probably, on some conquered 

 nation. The animals are generally portrayed in profile, and con- 

 sequently only one horn is seen. From this circumstance Cuvier 

 considers it is the unicorn of the ancients ; but upon grounds that 

 can only be considered as absurd, for even if the animals were 

 represented in the side view exactly as they often appear in nature, 

 with the two horns in such perfect parallel that only one is 

 visible ; still, their having two is so unmistakable, that no writer 

 would describe them as actually only having one, or would the 

 people have accepted as an appropriate name for a two-horned 

 beast, one signifying " unicorn " or one-horned. 



The Bbisa (Oryx beisa) is a variety of the genus inhabiting 

 Eastern Africa and the coasts of the Eed Sea. It is a beautifully 

 marked animal and conspicuous by the proud carriage of the head, 

 and the beautiful tapering horns, which are set nearly close 

 together upon the head, but gradually diverge towards their 

 extremities. 



As a rule the little antelopes born in captivity are rather trouble- 

 some to rear, for few of them possess a hardy constitution. One of 

 the photographs accompanying this chapter exhibits a keeper in the 

 Zoological Gardens attempting to teach an orphan beisa antelope 

 how to procure nourishment from that modern nursery appliance, 

 a baby's bottle. The little animal soon learnt how to suck from 

 it, but he did not thrive, and although he had energy enough to 

 butt the keeper whenever the suction pipe fell out of his mouth, 

 he had the impression that it was due to some fault of his strange 

 foster mother ; yet he had not the requisite vitality for existing on 

 the food substituted for the natural one, and at a very early age 

 the pretty little creature departed this life universally regretted by 

 all who knew him, 



