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a valuable communication to the Zoological Society of London on the 21st 
May, 1872, which was subsequently published in the Society’s ‘ Proceedings.’ 
Being engaged on a work originally planned by our lamented friend, and 
having the use of the illustrations which he has so carefully prepared, we 
cannot do better than commence our account of this species with a résumé 
of his excellent elucidation of this difficult subject, which is nearly as 
follows :— 
Bosman, in his Description of the Gold Coast, published at Utrecht in 
1704*, seems to have been the first author who mentions the Royal Antelope. 
After describing the colour and very small size of the animal, and the custom 
of making the feet into pipe-stoppers (one of which he states he had sent 
home set in gold), Bosman writes :—“ the negroes call it the ‘King of the 
Harts.’ This expression, no doubt, originated the English name of ‘ Royal 
Antelope, by which this species has always been known.” 
The celebrated ‘Thesaurus’ of Seba, published in 1734, gives us the first 
record of specimens of this animal having found their way into European 
museums, figure 3 of the 43rd plate of that work, illustrating his Cervus 
juvencus perpusillus guineensis, being, as Sir Victor Brooke has shown, 
undoubtedly referable to the Royal Antelope. In 1754 the Museum of King 
Adolphus Frederick seems to have contained a specimen of this animal, 
and it was in the folio catalogue of this collection that Linnzus appears to 
have first given a definite name (Capra perpusilla) to the present species. 
It seems, therefore, that the two sources from which Linneus derived his 
knowledge of it were Seba’s ‘Thesaurus,’ with possibly an examination of 
Seba’s specimens, and, secondly, the Museum of King Adolphus Frederick. 
As regards the ‘Systema Nature,’ Linneus first mentioned this species in 
his second edition (1740), and gave as its diagnosis “ Capra pedibus digito 
humano augustioribus,” with a reference to figure 3 of plate 48 of Seba’s 
‘Thesaurus.’ In the 6th edition of the ‘ Systema’ (1748) both diagnosis and 
reference are repeated word for word. But in 1754, when Linneus prepared 
his catalogue of the Museum of King Adolphus Frederick just alluded to, 
besides describing a specimen of the Royal Antelope in that collection, to 
which he applies the diagnosis of the ‘Systema Nature’ given above, he 
* Nauwkeurige Beschryving van de Guinese Goud-Tand en Slave-Kust. Door Willem 
Bosman. Utrecht, 1704. 
