528 
VERTEBRATA. 
est possible A^ariety ; sometimes they are bent forward, sometimes backward ; sometimes tkey are 
straight, sometimes spiral, and sometimes lyrc-shaped. The females have two to four mammse, and 
go from five to eight months, producing one, and sometimes, though rarely, two at a birth. 
In general, the antilopes are covered with short, smooth hair of uniform length ; some, how- 
ever, have manes of bristly hair on the neck and shoulders ; the ears are commonly long, narrow^ 
and pointed forward ; the tail is short, round, and tufted at the extremity. They are mostly 
gregarious, and unite in large herds, either permanently or at particular seasons of the year, but 
only for the purpose of migrating in search of more abundant and grateful pasturage ; some 
species, however, live in ]3airs or small families, consisting of an old male and one or more females, 
with the young of the two foregoing seasons. Most of them are among the fleetest of animals, 
outstripping even the horse in their flight. They are extremely cautious in guarding against 
surprise, placing sentinels in various directions about their feeding-grounds to warn them 
of the approach of danger while grazing or reposing ; and their vision and sense of smell are so 
acute, that it is only by using the greatest caution and circumspection that the hunter can bring 
them within range of the gun. The names by which they are distinguished in all languages, 
ancient as well as modern, have a direct reference to this quickness of sight, and to the brilliancy 
of the large black eyes which form so conspicuous a feature ia them. Thus the word Dorcas, the 
Greek and Roman name of the Gazelle, or common. Barbary Antilope, is derived from the verb 
" to see." The Avord Antilope, Avhich zoologists have adopted as the generic name of the group^ 
literally signifies " bright eyes." Among the Greeks and Romans, Dorcas^ Dorcalis, and Damalis, 
all names of different antilopes, were common names of women, bestowed, without doubt, on 
account of the remarkable beauty of their eyes. Travelers in the East inform us that Aine el 
Czazel, " You have the eyes of an antilope^'' is the greatest compliment which at the present day 
an Oriental admirer can pay to his mistress. 
Africa, as we have already intimated, may be considered the head-quarters of the antilope tribe. 
The habitat of these animals, however, difi"ers according to the particular species. Some frequent 
the di'y, sandy deserts, and feed upon the stunted acacias and bulbous plants which spring up even 
in the most arid situations ; some |)refer the open, stony plains, as the steppes of Central Asia and 
karroos of Southern Africa, where the grass, though parched, is still sufiicient for their sub- 
sistence ; some, again, inhabit the steep, rocky mountains, and leap from cliff to cliff' with the ease 
and security of the ibex, while others are found only in the thick and almost impenetrable forests 
of tropical countries. 
The antilopes have been variously classified. Dr. Gray arranges them into two divisions : 
Antilopes of the Fields and Antilopes of the Desert. These divisions are founded upon peculi- 
arities of the nostrils, easily recognized. In the Antilopes of the Fields the nostrils are bald or 
free from hairs, while in the Antilopes of the Desert these organs are bearded within or covered 
with bristles. There are other distinctions, but these are the most obvious and most readily ap- 
preciated. 
The first of these classes, Antilopes of the Fields, embraces the True Antilopes, as the Ga- 
zelles, the Pallah, Stein-hoc, Kleene-boc, Riet-hoc, Siiig-sing, Bla.uiv-hoc, Gems-hoc, Oryx, Addax, 
Chamois, Prong-hwn, &c. ; the second class, Antilopes of the Desert, embraces the Gnu, Eland^ 
Bless-hoc, Koodoo, Nil-Ghau, (ice,, d'c. 
We deem it best, however, to follow the system we have hitherto pursued, and to present these 
animals in genera and species, believing that form to aff"ord a clearer and more discriminating 
view than can be obtained in any other manner. 
Genus ALCELAPHTJS : Alcelaphus. — These animals have thick, heavy horns, of a double 
curve, and somewhat lyre-shaped. There are two species. The Bubalus, or Bekker-el-Wash, 
A. bubalis, is of a reddish fawn-color, with black horns, shaped like the tines of a fork. In its 
combats, it lowers the head like a bull. It is a powerful brute, but some of them have proved 
to be docile, and the young have been known to join the herds of domestic cattle and remain, 
with them till their maturity. It is found living iii herds in Northern Africa from Morocco to 
Egypt. - 
The Caama, Lecama, or Harte-Beest, A. caama, resembles the preceding, and has been con- 
