The book of antelopes, vol. 1 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 1 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
From Nyasaland, so far as we can make out, Lichtenstein’s Antelope
extends northwards to the plains of the Wami River opposite Zanzibar,
where Sir John Kirk procured specimens, which are now in his
collection. In the hills of Usagara, north-east of this district,
_B. lichtensteini_ is replaced by _B. cokei_, as already
mentioned in our article on the latter species. Herr P. Matschie,
of Berlin, considers the Hartebeest of German East Africa, which he
says extends as far north as the Pangani River, to be different from
_B. lichtensteini_ (although he admits that the horns of the two
species very closely resemble each other), and proposes to call it
_B. leucoprymnus_. We are not, however, with due respect to Herr
Matschie’s views, yet prepared to recognize _B. leucoprymnus_
as distinct from _B. lichtensteini_, though we fully admit the
possibility of being obliged hereafter, by future evidence, to alter
our opinion on this point.
[Illustration: Fig. 6 _a_.
Skull of _Bubalis lichtensteini_, ♂.
(Brooke.)]
The main distinguishing feature of Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest is the
short and thick basal portion of its horns, which induces us to place
it in a section by itself, and which renders it easily recognizable
from the seven preceding species of this genus. This character is well
shown in the accompanying woodcuts (figs. 6 _a_ and 6 _b_).
Figure 6 _a_, prepared under the superintendence of Sir Victor
Brooke, shows the skull of a male of this species; fig. 6 _b_,
p. 50 (which has been kindly lent to us by the Zoological Society of
London) represents, as we now believe, the skull of a female, though
originally supposed by Mr. Crawshay to belong to a young male.
[Illustration: Fig. 6 _b_.
Skull of _Bubalis lichtensteini_, ♀.
(P. Z. S. 1890, p. 662.)]
Our coloured figure of this Antelope (Plate V.) was prepared by Mr.
Smit from a male specimen (now in the British Museum) which was shot on
the River Sabi by Mr. Selous in July 1885. Besides this, the National
Collection contains a stuffed female from the same locality, and a
series of skulls and skins from Nyasaland, transmitted by Mr. H. H.
Johnston, C.B., F.Z.S., and other specimens from the Manica plateau
(_Selous_) and Usagara (_Kirk_).
_May, 1894._
GENUS II. DAMALISCUS.
Type.
_Damalis_, =Gray=, Ann. Mag. N. H. (1) xviii. p. 233
(1846), et auctorum plurimorum, nec Ham. Sm. =D. LUNATUS.=
_Damaliscus_, nomen novum =D. PYGARGUS.=
Similar in most essential characters to _Bubalis_, but distinguished by
the frontals being quite normal, and not drawn upwards and backwards
to form a horn-support. As a result the parietal surface of the skull
faces upwards instead of backwards, and is easily visible between the
horns in a vertical view of the skull.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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