THE MOUNTAIN ANTELOPE 
time, if he cannot advance without being seen, and generally, 
from his being so close, if he does get in on the herd the run 
is too short to be of much interest, 
I have killed many an antelope since those early days in 
other parts of Southern India, and I was fortunate enough 
when shooting on the Pulneys, to come across and shoot 
three does of a rather rare antelope known as the mountain 
antelope ; and again on the 26th of November, 1863, I shot a 
buck of the same species near Pykara on the Neilgherries. 
I was out after sambur and Francis (my shikarie)^ proposed that 
I should go and post myself near Neilds shola, while the men 
beat along the slopes ; so away I went carrying the Lang rifle 
in the Highland sling, the Breechloader on my arm, and the 
Ross in my hand ; as I came above the little round shola 
under the rocks I saw wliat I took to be a jungle sheep 
{Cervuius muntjac) standing looking at me amongst the rocks 
on the opposite slope about 140 yards off, I hesitated 
whether I would try the Breechloader, but 1 trusted to the 
Ross ; there was a loud tell, but a lot of dust flew up, and 
when I got to the place, I found the bullet flattened against 
a rock, and it did not look as if it had gone through the 
animal. I took up the track and immediately found a few 
specks of blood which increased as I went on, and about 
a hundred yards further on 1 found the animal lying dead, it 
having rolled part of the way down the hill side. What was 
my astonishment and pleasure on finding that I had shot a 
buck mountain antelope. It resembles very much the does I 
had previously killed only the lower jaw is whiter ; the lach- 
r^'mal sinus was much swollen and full of white gluey matter ; 
the horns were set at slightly different angles and their points 
as sharp as needles. 
