The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
Another good authority on Abyssinian Mammals, Theodor von Heuglin, has
also told us that this little Antelope is very common in the Abyssinian
coast-district, ranging north to the mountains of the Beni Amer, and
westwards as far as Takeh. He says that it is more plentiful in the
bushes on the borders of the hill-district than on the plateau of
the sea-coast, and that it ascends the mountains to a height of 6000
feet. Finally, as is recorded by Dr. Giglioli, the Italian naturalists
Boutourline and Traversi, who went to Shoa in 1884, obtained specimens
of this Antelope much further south, at Assab. It is, however, quite
possible that these last-named examples may have belonged to one of the
allied species which next follow.
Salt’s Dik-dik is represented in the British Museum by a mounted
pair in the Gallery, of which the male was obtained by Rüppell and
the female by Sir William Cornwallis Harris. There are also in that
Collection skins of both sexes procured by Mr. Blanford during the
Abyssinian Expedition, and a skeleton and skull collected by Mr. Jesse
on the same occasion.
Our figure of this Antelope (Plate XXX.) was put on the stone by Mr.
Smit from a water-colour drawing by Wolf. This drawing, which was
prepared under Sir Victor Brooke’s direction, is now in Sir Douglas
Brooke’s possession.
_December, 1895._
53. SWAYNE’S DIK-DIK.
MADOQUA SWAYNEI, THOS.
_Neotragus saltianus_ (in part), =Swayne=, P. Z. S. 1892, p. 307.
_Madoqua swaynei_, =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1894, p. 328 (Berbera);
=Hoyos=, Zu den Aulihan, p. 185 (1895); =Swayne=, Somaliland, p.
318 (1895).
VERNACULAR NAMES:--_Guyu_ of Somalia (_Swayne_), and, with the
other Somali _Dik-diks_, _Sakáro_ as a generic name (_Swayne_).
Similar in almost all respects to _M. saltiana_, but considerably
smaller. Back grizzled grey, with a fulvous suffusion. Sides not, or
scarcely, more rufous than back. Limbs pale rufous.
Skull like that of _M. saltiana_, but much smaller. Basal length
(male) 3·06 inches, greatest breadth 1·9, muzzle to orbit 1·6, tip of
nasals to tip of premaxillæ 1·03.
_Hab._ Northern half of Somaliland.
In Northern Somaliland the place of Salt’s Dik-dik appears to be taken
by two other forms, which were first discriminated by Thomas in an
article upon these dwarf Antelopes read before the Zoological Society
in April 1864. The present species Thomas named after the enthusiastic
naturalist and sportsman Capt. H. G. C. Swayne, R.E., who called
Thomas’s attention to its distinctness, and who first furnished the
National Collection with specimens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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