ANTELOPE. 
7. Scripts, or harnessed antelope. This, 
which is numbered among the smaller ante- 
lopes, is of an elegant tawny chesmit -colour 
both above and below, each side of the body 
being marked by two longitudinal bands of 
white, crossed, at nearly equal distances, by- 
two transverse ones: the rump is also marked 
on each side by two white descending stripes; 
and die thighs are variegated with seven or 
eight roundish white spots: the checks have 
a white spot or patch beneath the eye, and 
the under part of the throat is of the same, 
colour: the tail measures ten inches, and is 
covered with long and rough hair : the horns 
point backward, and are nine inches long, of 
a black colour, and marked by two spiral ribs 
or wreaths. This elegant species is a native 
of Senegal, living in woods in large herds. 
8. Grimmia, or Guinea antelope. The 
Guinea antelope, or grimrn, is considerably 
smaller than a roebuck, and is of an elegant 
and lively aspect. Its colour on all parts ex- 
cept the throat, abdomen, and insides of the 
thighs, where it is pale cinereous, is a beautb 
ful light yellowish or tawny brown. Like 
most other quadrupeds, however, it differs as 
to the intensity of its colour. The horns are 
very short, thick at the base, very slightly an- 
nulated to a small distance Beyond, and are 
sharp-pointed, smooth, and-black : the limbs 
are slender; the tail' rather short, blackish 
above, white below, and is somewhat flocky 
or loose-haired : but what principal! v distin- 
guishes this 1 species is an upright pointed tuft 
of strong black hairs rising from the top of 
the forehead, between the horns, to the 
height of about two inches and a half : the 
sinus lachrymalis, as in many other antelopes, 
is extremely conspicuous. The grimm is 
found in several parts of Africa, extending, 
according to Dr. Pallas and Mr. Pennant, 
from Guinea, to the Cape of Good Hope; 
residing principally in places overgrown with 
brushwood, into which it may retire on the 
approach of danger. 
9. Pygmaea, or pygmy antelope. This 
beautiful and diminutive species appears to 
have been frequently confounded with the 
moschw v pugmceiis , or pygmy musk, which it 
resembles in size as well as in colour and 
manners. It is a native of the hottest parts 
of Africa, and is easily tamed, but is of so 
tender a nature as not to admit of being 
brought in a living state into Europe. So 
remarkable are its powers of activity in its 
native regions, that it is said to be able to 
leap over a wall of twelve feet high. Jts co- 
lour is a bright bay, paler beneath, and on 
the insides of the limbs ; and its height not 
more than nine inches. The horns are strait, 
short, strong, sharp-pointed, smooth, aqd per- 
fectly black. The legs are scarcely thicker 
than a quill, and have been used for similar 
•purposes with those of the moschus pygmasus. 
'1 he female is said to be hornless. 
10. Antilope picta, or nilghau. The nil- 
ghau, or white-footed antelope, is a large and 
beautiful species, known only within the space 
of a few years past. It has of late years been 
often imported into Europe, and has bred in 
England. In confinement it is generally pretty 
gentle, but is sometimes seized with fits of sud- 
den caprice, wjjen it will attack with great vio- 
lence the objects of its displeasure. When 
the males fight, they drop on their knees at 
some distance from each other, and gradually 
advance in that attitude, and at length make 
VOL. I. 
a spring at each other with their heads bent 
low. This action, however, is not peculiar 
to the nilghau, but is observed in many others 
of the antelope tribe. See Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 22. 
11. Tragocamelus, or Indostan antelope. 
The Indostan antelope is of a far less elegant 
appearance than the rest of the antelopes, and 
seems to partake, in some degree, of the form 
of a camel, having a strong bending neckj and 
a large elevation or protuberance over the 
shoulders. Along the neck runs a short mane ; 
and the protuberance before mentioned is co- 
vered or tufted with long hair: the breast is 
furnished with a kind of dewlap, or loose pen- 
dent skin, resembling that of a cow: the hind 
part of the animal is small in proportion to 
tiie fore ; the limbs are slender, and the tail 
is nearly two feet in length, and terminated 
by a hairy tuft. . This highly singular animal 
is a native of India, and in its habits and 
manner of lying down is said to resemble a 
camel. 
12. Bubalis, or cervine antelope. Tips 
species is said to be common in Barbary, and 
in all the northern parts of Africa. It is also 
found, though less frequently, in many other 
parts of that continent, and even extends as 
far as the Cape of Good Hope. It is sup- 
posed to have been the bubalus of the an- 
tients, instead of the common buffalo, as 
sometimes erroneously imagined. In its ge- 
neral form it seems to partake of the stag and 
heifer, having a large head, like that of an 
ox ; and a thick broad nose. The height of 
the animal, when measured to the top of the 
shoulders, is about 4 feet; the general colour 
a reddish brown, white about the rump, in- 
sides of the limbs, and lower part of the bel- 
ly; the upper part of the fore legs is marked 
iii front by a dusky patch, as is also- the hind 
part of the thighs ; and on the upper part of 
the back is a stripe of the same colour. The 
horns bend' outwards and backwards, and are 
very strong and black, thickly or coarsely 
annulated towards the base, and seated pretty 
close to each other on the head ; they are 
about 20 inches in length, and 11 inches 
round at the base ; the teeth are large, the 
lower lip black, with a sort of tuft of bristles 
on each side ; along the snout and forehead 
runs a black band, terminated at the fore- 
head by a tuft of hair between the horns. 
13. Strepsiceros, or striped antelope. The 
striped antelope is a native of the country 
about the Cape of Good Hope, where it is 
said to be called coedoes. It is one of the 
larger kinds of antelopes, measuring near 
9 feet in length, and being 4 feet high. Its 
colour is a rufous-grey, with the face brown, 
marked by two white lines, eacli proceeding 
from the corner of the eye, and uniting in a 
pointed form on the top of the nose, which is 
smooth and black ; down the forehead runs a 
broad dusky stripe, and a streak of the same 
colour is continued down the upper part of 
the neck ; the lower part of the back is mark- 
ed by a white stripe, from which proceed 
several others, each about an inch broad, 
down the sides of the animal, three or four 
of them falling over the upper part of the 
thighs : the female of this species is said by 
Mr. Pennant to be destitute of horns', but 
Dr. Pallas affirms that it is horned like the 
male. The number of white stripes in this 
animal seems to vary. 
14. Rupcapra, or common antelope. Of 
113 
this numerous tribe there is perhaps no spe- 
cies more truly elegant in its appearance than 
the present, which is a native of many parts 
of Africa, as well as of India. It is particu- 
larly frequent in Barbary. Its general size is 
somewhat smaller than that of a fallow deer, 
and its colour is a reddish tawny brown above, 
and white below ; the insides of the limbs are 
white, and on the head, back, and outsides of 
the limbs, the hair is darker than on other 
parts : the orbits of the eyes are white, and 
this colour is generally continued into a white 
spot or patch on each side the forehead ; the 
muzzle is black ; the horns are of a peculiarly 
beautiful form, having a double flexure, first 
inwards, and again outwards : their colour is 
black, and they are very elegantly and dis- 
tinctly marked throughout almost their whole 
length by numerous prominent rings. Their 
general length is about fourteen inches, and 
they are about sixteen inches distant from 
each other at the tips. See Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 23. 
15. Lerwia, or Gambian antelope. 1 his 
seems a species not very distinctly under- 
stood. 
16. Antilope saiga, or saiga. The saiga, 
or Scythian antelope, is an inhabitant of all 
the deserts from the Danube and the Dnieper 
to the river Irtish, but not beyond ; nor is it 
ever seen to the north of 54 or 55 degrees of 
latitude. It is therefore found in Poland, 
Moldavia, about Mount Caucasus, and the 
Caspian Sea, as well as in the dreary open 
deserts of Siberia, where salt-springs abound, 
feeding on the salt, acrid, and aromatic plants 
of those countries. 
The females of this species go with young 
the whole winter, and bring forth in the north- 
ern deserts in May, producing only one young 
at a birth, which is covered with a soft curling 
fleece, like that of a new-fallen lamb. It i9 
said that a flock of saigas seldom lies down 
all at once, some always acting as a kind of 
sentinels, and being relieved in their turn by 
others; and thus they preserve themselves* 
from the attacks both of wolves and hunters. 
r l hey are so extremely swift as easily to out- 
strip the fleetest horse, but cannot run for 
any great length of time in this manner with- 
out stopping, as if to take brea h. If bit by 
a dog, they instantly fall down, without at- 
tempting to rise, being entirely disabled 
through extreme terror. In their flight they 
appear to incline to one side, and their course 
is so rapid, that they scarcely seem to touch 
the ground with their feet. When taken 
young they may be easily tamed ; but when 
caught at full age, are so wild and obstinate 
as to refuse all kind of food. 
These animals are hunted for the sake of 
tffeir flesh, horns, and skins, which latter are 
said to he excellent for gloves, belts, See. 
The hunters are careful to approach them 
against the wind, lest the animals should per- 
ceive them by their smell : they also avoid 
putting on red or white clothes, or any co- 
lours which might attract their notice. They 
are both shot and taken with dogs, and some- 
times by a species of eagle trained to this 
kind of falconry. 
17. Gutturosa, or Chinese antelope, This 
is a species which is said to abound in the 
southern parts of the deserts between Tibet 
and China, and in the country of the Mon- 
gol' Tartars, frequenting principally the dry 
and rocky plains and hills of those regions, 
