THE SMALLER GAZELLES 
I N addition to the larger gazelles already mentioned, there are many 
smaller species inhabiting various districts of the vast desert regions 
of Northern Africa. As, in their general habits, appearance and mode of 
life, all these small gazelles resemble one another very closely, it will 
not be necessary for the purposes of this volume to do more than 
enumerate the various species and indicate their several habitats. 
Living as they usually do in desert regions, either absolutely devoid of 
cover or amongst thin and almost leafless scrub, and being at the same 
time keen-sighted and wary animals, gazelles of all kinds require straight 
shooting, though it must be admitted that the wonderful accuracy of the 
modern long-range low-trajectory small-bore rifle has made it as easy 
to hit a small animal to-day at two hundred yards or three hundred 
yards as it was to hit the same -sized target at one hundred yards 
twenty years ago with the weapons in use at that time. The commonest 
and best -known of all the small African gazelles is undoubtedly the 
Dorcas gazelle ( gazella dorcas ), which is one of the smallest of the 
whole group, standing about twenty-one or twenty-two inches at the 
shoulder. The horns, which are of the usual gazelle type, are strongly 
ringed, and sometimes attain a length of rather more than thirteen 
inches. The Dorcas gazelle ranges through the desert regions of the 
interior of Algeria, Tunis and Tripoli. 
The Edmi gazelle {gazella cuvieri ), which is also a North African species, 
is never found in company with the Dorcas gazelle, being an inhabitant of 
the mountain plateaux of Morocco and Algiers, where it has been met 
with at an elevation of between six and seven thousand feet. It is a larger 
animal than the Dorcas, standing some twenty -six or twenty -seven inches 
at the shoulder. Its horns are very similar in size and shape to those of 
Thomson’s gazelle, sometimes attaining a length of nearly fifteen inches. 
Of very similar general appearance to Edmi’s gazelle, though somewhat 
smaller, Speke’s gazelle {gazella spekei) is an inhabitant of the high 
plateaux of Somaliland from the Golis mountains to Ogaden. The most 
remarkable feature about this gazelle is the curious ridged swelling on 
the nose, which is present in both sexes, although always more developed 
in the male. Just above this swelling there is a black spot. In shoulder 
height, Speke’s gazelle stands twenty-three or twenty -four inches, and the 
length of the horns in the male is from ten to twelve inches. In the female 
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