534 
VEETEBRATA. 
THE NIL-GHAU. 
Genus PORTAX : Portm. — Of this there is a single species, the Nil-Ghau or Blue Anti- 
lope, P. picta or P. tragocamehis^ supposed to be the Hippelaphe of Aristotle. It is one of the 
largest of the Antilope tribe, being four feet high at the shoulders. The face is long and narrow, 
the muzzle large and naked ; the horns, seven inches long, are straight, smooth, round, and thick ; 
the hair is short, and the color a slaty-blue. It resides in the dense forests of India, whence it 
occasionally makes excursions very early iu the morning or during the night, to feed upon the 
corn-fields of the natives which happen to be situated in the vicinity of the jungle. It is a vicious 
animal, of very uncertain temper, and as it is both powerful and resolute, and frequently turns 
upon its pursuers, it is seldom made an object of chase except by the native princes, who em- 
ploy elephants for this purpose, or inclose the game in nets. The usual method which the 
Shikarrees, or professed hunters, employ for its capture, is to shoot it from an elevated platform, 
when it comes out at night or early in the morning to feed on the confines of the jungle ; this 
being likewise their mode of destroying tigers, wild boars, and other beasts which they dare not 
attack openly. Even in confinement, and when domesticated from birth, the violent and change- 
able temper of the Nil-Ghau cannot be trusted. Previous to making an attack, it drops upon 
the fore-knees, advancing in this position till within a proper distance, then darting suddenly for- 
ward with the velocity of an arrow, and with a force which no ordinary animal can withstand. 
Yet, notwithstanding its vigor and resolution, it is the most common prey of the tiger. It has often 
been bred in confinement, both in England and India. The period of gestation is eight months, 
and two young are commonly produced at a birth. At first the young males are of the same 
reddish-brown color as the females, and only assume the grayish-blue shade proper to their sex 
on arriving at maturity : their growth is, however, rapid, and they attain their adult size in the 
second or third year of their age. 
Genus TRAGELAPHUS : Tragelaphus. — Of this the most noted species is the Guib Antilope, 
T. so'iptus, a graceful animal, about the size of a common deer, of a reddish fawn-color, but 
marked with white stripes along the back and sides, and with white spots on the haunches. These 
markings are prominent in both sexes ; and as they resemble a harness, the species has been called 
the Harnessed Antilope. It is found in the western part of Africa, where it associates in extensive 
herds. 
