ANTELOPES. 



39 



The Palla Antelope. " ^ The South I Afl ' ican Palla > or I m P aI a, JEpyceros [Case 54.] 

 k '^mmelampus (1 123, fig. 23), is the typical repre- 



r GenusJ/EpycerOS. | sen tative of a genus belonging to the group 

 Antilopince, and containing two species. Pallas are distinguished 

 by the lyrate, widely divergent, and somewhat spiral horns of the 

 bucks, and the absence of lateral hoofs to the feet, and of glands on 

 the face, as well as by the presence of a pair of glands, marked by 

 black tufts, on the hind surface of the hind-feet. The does are 

 hornless. The common species inhabits South and South-Eastern 

 Africa, and is represented by a small race in Nyasaland ; the 

 second species (AS . petersi, 1 124) being from Angola. Pallas asso- 

 ciate in herds, including from twenty to one hundred individuals, 

 the majority of which are usually females. They are seldom found 

 far away from water, and often frequent sandy plains covered with 

 mimosas and low scrub near rivers. In speed they surpass all 

 other African Antelopes, and their leaping powers are described as 

 marvellous. 



n . . ... The Tibetan Antelope, or Chiru, Pantholops [Case 56.1 

 The Ghiru Antelope. , /HI |, * \ . ^ \ , F e J 



hodgsoni (1 144, ng. 24), is the sole member or 



Genus Pantholops. a genus apparently nearly allied to the Saiga, 

 but well distinguished by the long black horns of the bucks, and 

 the less convex nose, in which the nostrils open anteriorly instead 

 of downwards. Chiru are inhabitants of the desolate open plateau 

 of Tibet, at elevations of between 13,000 and 18,000 feet above 

 the sea-level. To withstand the intense winter cold of those districts, 

 the body is covered with an extremely thick coat of soft fur, which 

 assumes a woolly texture at the base. Generally Chiru are found 

 in small parties, although they occasionally congregate in herds. 



The Saiga Antelope. The Saiga Antelo P e > Sai ff a tatarica (1146, [Case 56.] 

 fig. 25) , which alone represents the genus of the 

 benilS baiya, same name, is a desert-dwelling Antelope, easily 

 recognised by its extraordinary swollen and puffy nose, in which 

 the apertures of the tubular nostrils are directed downwards. The 

 horns of the males are peculiar for their yellowish colour, and 

 the wide distance they are set from one another on the head. 

 There is a small gland on each side of the face below the eye ; and 

 the ears are remarkable for their short and rounded form. At the 



