Antelopes.J 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



143 



hills or mountain-districts of moderate elevation. 

 "When pursued, they dive through the thicket, and 

 quickly disappear. 



Tragulus, Ogilby. — Horns in both sexes ; maxillary 

 glands oblong ; interdigital pores wanting ; inguinal 

 pits wanting ; teats in the female four. 



G39.— The Kleenbok 

 (Antilope peipusilld). This little antelope is a 

 native of South Africa, and lives singly or in pairs 

 among the bushes, in the covert of which it hides 

 itself "so completely, that it is not often to be seen 

 even where it is abundant. It is very active, shy, 

 wary, and timid, and displays great address and 

 cunning in eluding pursuit. When domesticated it 

 becomes very familiar, will distinguish persons about. 

 it, and answer to its name when called. This species 

 is the A. pygmsea of Desmarest, who confounds it 

 with the Guevi of Senegal : it is also the A. cosrulea 

 of Col. H. Smith. 



The height of the Kleenbok at the shoulder is 

 about a foot ; the head is long and pointed. The 

 general colour is dark slaty brown, passing in the 

 under parts to ashy grey ; the forehead and nose 

 are brown bordered on each side by a line of sandy 

 red ; the legs are reddish brown ; the horns are small 

 and straight, not more than, an inch and a half long 

 in the male; nearly an inch in Ihe female. 



Capriform Antelopes. — Head heavy; neck 

 short : contour robust ; limbs strong; hoofs adapted 

 for rocky or mountain situations ; horns small or 

 moderate ; hair coarse and deep, or harsh and wiry. 



Rupicapra. — Horns common to both sexes, rising 

 immediately above the orbits, at first vertically, then 

 looking abruptly backwards, small and smooth, with 

 sharp points ; lips hairy and attenuated ; suborbital 

 sinuses wanting ; inguinal pores and post-auditory 

 sinuses; teats of females two. 



G40, G41, 642.— The Chamois 

 (Antilope Rupicapra). This celebrated animal is 

 found in all the alpine chains of Europe and Western 

 Asia, in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Carpathian and 

 Grecian mountains, and the ranges of Caucasus and 

 Taurus. Everywhere it tenants the loftiest ridges, 

 displaying the most astonishing activity. During the 

 summer it is only to be found on the mountain-tops, 

 or in sequestered rock-girt glens, where the snow lies 

 unmelted throughout the year ; but in winter it de- 

 scends below the line of perpetual snows to the grassy 

 slopes, where it becomes doubly cautious and wary. 

 Its senses of hearing, sight, and smell are extremely 

 acute, and it scents the approaching hunter at the 

 distance of half a league. When its fears are once 

 excited, it bounds from rock to rock, as if to gain a 

 view of the surrounding district, uttering at the 

 same time a singular hissing sound ; but no sooner 

 has it caught sight of its enemy, than off it bounds, 

 Scaling the most fearful rocks, clearing chasms, and 

 leaping from, crag to crag with amazing rapidity. 

 Its course is not stopped by a perpendicular precipice 

 of twenty or thirty feet in depth : with astonishing 

 boldness it takes the leap, striking the face of the 

 rock repeatedly with its feet, for the purpose both 

 of breaking the fall, and of directing itself more 

 steadily to the point it aims at. It pitches on the 

 smallest ledge, where the eye of man scarcely discerns 

 room for its foot ; and it traverses with security the 

 beetling shelf that overhangs the deepest abyss. 

 The perils of the chamois-hunter have been too often 

 narrated to need repetition ; his life is one of per- 

 petual jeopardy: he is like a man infatuated by a 

 spell, and though he knows the awful risk he runs, 

 yet to the chase is he impelled by the same feelings 

 which urge the gamester in a career of ruin. The 

 sketch (Fig. 643) represents the dangerous situation 

 of two celebrated hunters in 1826,'and is copied 

 from a print published at Basle. 



The food of the chamois consists of mountain 

 herbs and flowers, and the tender shoots of shrubs ; 

 it seldom drinks, but is extremely partial to salt, 

 and many stones are met with in the Alps hollowed 

 out by the continual licking of the chamois, on 

 account of the saltpetre with which they abound. 



At the root of each horn on the back of the head 

 there is a sinus or opening of the skin, which does 

 not seem to be connected with any gland, nor is its 

 use understood. The females produce one, rarely 

 two kids in March or April. The chamois exceeds 

 two feet in height : the whole body is covered with 

 long hair of a deep brown in winter, and brownish 

 fawn colour in summer ; the chafTron, muzzle, and 

 sides of the lower jaw are white or straw-coloured; 

 the tail is very short. 



Mazama, Ogilby. — Horns in the male only, com- 

 pressed laterally at the base, diverging as they rise 

 upwards, then hooking backwards and inwards, 

 rough and scabrous, and giving off above their base 

 a bold, compressed, pointed prong directed for- 

 wards ; lips hairy; neither inguinal pits nor lachry- 

 mal sinuses ; interdigital pits distinct ; teats in the 

 female, four; knee-brushes large; accessory hoofs 

 wanting. 



644. — The Prongbuck 

 {Antilope Furrifer). The Prongbuck is a native of 

 the western parts of North America, from the 53° of 

 north latitude to the plains of Mexico and California ; 

 presuming that it is identical with the animal de- 

 scribed by Hernandez as the Mazama. It is grega- 

 rious in its habits, frequenting wide open plains or 

 hills of moderate height, but. is never found to inha- 

 bit forests or closely-wooded districts. It. migrates 

 from north to south, according to the season. On 

 the banks of the southern branch of the Saskat- 

 chewan, and on the upper plains of the Columbia 

 river it is very numerous. The Prongbuck is com- 

 pactly formed, active, and vigorous; and, on firm 

 ground, will outstrip most animals, but after a slight 

 fall of snow a good horse will easily overtake it. 

 These animals, like many other Ruminants, display 

 a sort of stupid curiosity at. the sight of novel objects, 

 which, as Dr. Godman states, the Indians, and even 

 the wolves, turn to their own advantage. If they 

 crouch down, assume strange postures, now move 

 forwards, now stop, or play antics, the prongbucks 

 wheel round and round the object of their attention, 

 decreasing their distance at every turn, till at last 

 they approach near enough to be killed by the In- 

 dian, or sprung upon by the wolf. Their flesh, how- 

 ever, is not in any estimation, and it is only in times 

 of scarcity that the Indian will take the trouble of 

 hunting them. The females produce one or even 

 two kids early in the month of .June. The prong- 

 buck stands three feet in height at the shoulder : its 

 body is covered with closely compacted hair stand- 

 , ing out from the skin, and of a most singular tex- 

 ture ; it is tubular, or hollow like a quill, but so 

 brittle and devoid of elasticity that it snaps with the 

 smallest effort, and when pressed between the thumb 

 and finger crushes like a dry reed, and never regains 

 its original form ; on the head, ears, and legs the 

 fur is close and of the ordinary quality ; that on the 

 body is two inches long, but down the back of the 

 neck it is six inches in length, and forms a mane. 

 The general colour is pale fawn, the hairs being of 

 a bluish tint at the roots ; the under parts and inner 

 aspect of the limbs are white ; a broad disc of white 

 surrounds the tail, and passes over the croup; and 

 the throat is marked also with two transverse white 

 bands. This, it must be observed, is the winter dress 

 of the animal ; in summer the new coat which it 

 then acquires consists of hair of the ordinary quality, 

 which as the winter comes on gives place to the 

 covering described. 



Nemorhedus, Smith. — Horns short, parallel, 

 curved gently backwards, annulated at the base and 

 longitudinally striated ; in both sexes, muzzle naked. 

 Suborbital sinuses in the form of a circular orifice. 

 Neither inguinal pores nor knee-brushes. Limbs 

 stout. Fur harsh and wiry ; a nuchal mane. Teats 

 four. 



645. — The Cambing-outan, or Wild Goat of the 

 Malays 



{Antilope Sitmatrcnsis, Desm.). In aspect and man- 

 ners the Cambing-outan resembles the common 

 goat and the ibex ; it inhabits the forests which 

 clothe the mountains of Sumatra, and is bold and 

 active. The Cambing-outan stands about two feet 

 three inches in height, at the shoulder, and is covered 

 with long coarse hair of a dark brown or black 

 colour ; the mane along the back of the neck being 

 white, and the hair on the lower jaw being of a straw- 

 colour. On each side of the muzzle there is a naked 

 linear space ; the suborbital sinuses are small. This 

 species is closely allied to the Thar of the Nepal 

 (Antilope Thar, Hodgson). In this group the 

 Goral of Nepal (Antilope Goral, Hardvvick) is placed 

 by Mr. Hodgson ('Zool. Proceeds.,' 1834, p. 85) ; 

 but it has no suborbital sinuses, nor is the muzzle 

 entirely naked. It will form the type of a distinct 

 subgenus (Kemas, Ogilby). 



Boviform Antelopes. — As the antelopes of the 

 last section approximate to the true goats, so, on 

 the other hand, do the animals of this section 

 approach the oxen. They do not, however, all dis- 

 play an equal degree of proximity : some, indeed, as 

 the Nyl-Ghau, are closely allied to groups among 

 the true antelopes, while others have nothing of the 

 antelope in form or appearance. In general they 

 are distinguished by their massive contour, large size, 

 and powerful limbs, conjoined with a heavy head, 

 short neck, and elevated withers. The horns are 

 large, often very thick and solid, and the eyes small ; 

 they are in fact bovine in their contour and habits, 

 and gradually link on with the genus Bos. In those 

 which approach the nearest to this genus there are 

 horns in both sexes. 



Tragelaphus, Ogilby. — Horns in the male only. 

 Suborbital sinuses large. Interdigital fossae distinct. 

 Inguinal pits wanting. Muzzle broad and naked. 

 Teats in the female, four. 



646, 647.— The Nyl-ghatj 

 (Antilope picta). This magnificent species, which 

 stands upwards of four feet in height at the shoulder, 



is a native of the dense forests of India, where it re-. 

 sides alone or in pairs; it is extremely vicious, reso- 

 lute, and powerful, and will turn upon its pursuers 

 with great fury. Even in confinement it is not to 

 be approached without caution. Previous to mak- 

 ing its attack it drops upon its fore-knees, and in 

 that attitude gradually advances, till within a cer- 

 tain distance of its foe, when it darts suddenly 

 forward with amazing force and velocity. Bold and 

 spirited, however, as it is, it is the most common 

 prey of the tiger. During the day the nyl-ghau 

 lurks in the covert of the forest, whence early in 

 the morning or during the night it wanders forth 

 to feed, invading the adjacent corn-fields and culti- 

 vated lands. This species is often bred in captivity 

 both in this country and in India. The female 

 usually produces two at a birth. 



The male considerably exceeds the female in size. 

 The general colour is slaty blue ; in the female tawny 

 red. The lips, chin, and under parts are white; 

 there is a large white spot, on the throat, two smaller 

 ones on the cheeks, and one in the front and two in 

 the rear of each pastern-joint. The young males 

 resemble the females in their colour, which is ex- 

 changed for slaty blue on arriving at maturity. A 

 bunch of long pendant hair hangs from the fore part 

 of the neck, and a similar tuft terminates the tail. 



The limbs of the nyl-ghau are well-formed, but 

 when the animal is standing are gathered close under 

 the body, and the tail is drawn in between the. hind- 

 legs. Mr. Ogilby regards this animal as the Hippe- 

 laphus of Aristotle. It is placed by the author of 

 the article on Antelopes in the 'Penny Cyclopgedia' 

 in the same group with the Steenbok, Grysbok, and 

 Klipspringer of Africa; but it has neither their form 

 nor habits. 



Koba.— Horns only in the male; long, stout, 

 nearly straight, inclined backwards, with a slight 

 inward tendency. Inguinal pores distinct. Subor- 

 bital sinuses wanting. Muzzle broad and naked. 

 Teats in female, four. 



648. — The Koba, or Sing-Sing 

 (Antilope Koba, Ogilby). This species is the 

 "grande vache brune " of the French of Senegal, of 

 which country it is a native. It equals the common 

 stag in stature, and is covered with a coat of long 

 rough hair; a rough bristly mane runs down the 

 back of the neck. The general colour is dark 

 sandy red, passing into grey on the under parts ; 

 the face and limbs are dark brown or black; the 

 lips, chin, and a stripe over each eye are white. 

 Of the native habits of the koba little is known ; in 

 captivity, judging from the specimens we have 

 seen, it is a gentle and quiet animal. When at 

 rest its attitude resembles that of the nyl-ghau. 

 An allied but smaller species, the Kob, or "petite 

 vache brune" of the French, inhabits Western 

 Africa. The figure (648) of the koba represents 

 the female. 



Oryx. — Horns in both sexes long, erect, annu- 

 lated ; muzzle nearly naked, or quite ; interdigital 

 pits large ; neither suborbital sinuses nor inguinal 

 pores ; teats of female, four. 



649.— The Addax 

 (Antilope Addax, Licht.). This animal is the Strep- 

 siceros of Pliny, which he states is termed by the 

 Africans Addax, or Addas ; and, according to Riip- 

 pel and Hemprieh, and Ehrenberg, who may be 

 said to have re-discovered this species in Dongola, 

 it. is denominated Akasch, or Akas, or Addas by the 

 Arabs, with the additional prefix of Abu, " father " 

 —thus, Abu-Addas, a title they bestow on many 

 other animals, as for example the sacred ibis, which 

 they call Abu Hannes, or Father John. The addax 

 appears to be widely spread in Central Africa, 

 tenanting the deserts in pairs, or perhaps small 

 groups ; but of its habits we have no detailed ac- 

 counts. It stands three feet in height at the shoul- 

 der, and is heavily made; the head is large, the 

 neck thick, and the legs robust. The horns are 

 long and round, rather slender in proportion to their 

 length, twisted outwards and describing two turns 

 of a wide spiral, annulated to within five or six 

 inches of the points, which are smooth and sharp ; 

 the form of the horns of the female does not differ 

 from that of the male, but in the young they are 

 almost straight. The ears are pretty long and pro- 

 portionally broader than in most of the smaller 

 antelopes, and the tail reaches almost to the hough 

 and is terminated by a switch of long, coarse, grey 

 hair. The whole head and neck, both above and 

 below, are of a deep reddish brown colour, except 

 a transverse mark of pure white across the lower 

 part of the forehead, between the orbits, which ex- 

 pands on the cheeks and half surrounds the eyes ; 

 a patch of black curly hair surrounds the root of 

 the horns, and there is a scanty beard of the same 

 colour on the larynx ; all the rest of the animal, 

 including the entire body from the neck backwards 

 as well as the legs and tail, is greyish white ; the 

 hoofs are black, and remarkably broad, to enable 



