The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
Mr. E. Lort Phillips, after whom this Antelope is named, has kindly
supplied us with the following notes on it and its fellows of the same
genus:--“Captain Swayne, in his volume ‘Somali-land,’ has so ably
described these tiny Antelopes that little remains for me to say.
With regard, however, to the name ‘Dik-dik,’ by which they are now so
generally known, I would point out that this is not a Somali term, but
hails from the country near Suakim, where it is the native name for
the _Madoqua saltiana_. When suddenly startled, these little creatures
bound off uttering shrill whistling notes of alarm. These notes are
exactly represented by the words ‘zick-zick, zick-zick’: hence the
Arab name. I have shot specimens of four species of _Madoqua_, namely
_M. saltiana_, _M. swaynei_, _M. guentheri_, and _M. phillipsi_, and
it is interesting to note that the habits and alarm-notes of each are
identical. One curious habit which I have not seen recorded is that
they seem to like to return to the same spot for their evacuations,
their droppings forming little mounds mingled with the sand that they
scrape up all round.”
[Illustration: Fig. 27.
Skull of _Madoqua phillipsi_ (reduced).
(P. Z. S. 1894, p. 327.)]
Our figure of the skull of this species is taken from that given in
the Zoological Society’s ‘Proceedings,’ by the kind permission of the
Society.
Besides the two specimens in spirits from Berbera obtained by Mr. E.
Lort Phillips (one of which is the type) the British Museum contains
several skins and skulls from Capt. Swayne’s collection, two skins from
Milmil collected by Dr. Donaldson Smith, and those of Capt. Cox already
referred to.
Our figure of this species (Plate XXXI. fig. 2) has been prepared from
these specimens by Mr. Smit.
_December, 1895._
55. THE DAMARAN DIK-DIK.
MADOQUA DAMARENSIS (GÜNTH.).
? _Neotragus saltianus_, =Bocage=, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 743
(Angola).
_Neotragus damarensis_, =Günth.= P. Z. S. 1880, p. 20 (fig.
skull) (Damaraland); =Flow. & Lyd.= Mamm. p. 338 (1891); =Lyd.=
Horns and Hoofs, p. 215 (1893).
_Nanotragus damarensis_, =Nicolls & Egl.= Sportsm. in S. Afr. p.
56 (1892).
_Madoqua damarensis_, =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1894, p. 329.
_Cephalophus hemprichianus_, =Jent.= N. L. M. ix. p. 172 (1887)
(Mossamedes).
Size largest of the genus. General colour greyish on the crown and
along the centre of the back, pale rufous on the backs of the ears,
sides, and limbs. Tuft on crown mixed with black.
Skull apparently similar to that of the next species, except for its
greater size, but as we have only seen a single imperfect example, it
is possible that other differences will be found when more material is
examined. Greatest breadth of skull (c.) 2·2 inches, muzzle to front of
orbit 2·23, to back of orbit 3·4.
_Hab._ Damaraland, and probably Southern Angola.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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