The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
“It was sent to me in March last from Damaraland by Mr. Eriksson, who
has lately presented to us a male specimen. The Museum previously
possessed a young male, also a Damaraland specimen, presented by the
late Mr. James Chapman.... The colouring of the male and female is
the same; but the adult male has straight horns 2¾ inches long, with
prominent irregular ridges (seven in one example) circling their basal
half. In the young male that we have the horns are 1 inch shorter, and
there are only three undeveloped ridges.
“Mr. Eriksson informs me that this Antelope frequents rocky hills in
the vicinity of Omaruru (about a degree north of Walvisch Bay), but is
not easily procured, owing to its great agility among its stony haunts.”
Judging from the localities it would appear highly probable that the
Dik-diks obtained on the River Cunene by the well-known Portugese
collector d’Anchieta, and referred by M. Barboza du Bocage to _M.
saltiana_, as also the skull in the Leyden Museum procured in
Mossamedes by Mr. P. J. Van der Kellen, and assigned by Dr. Jentink
in 1887 to “_Cephalophus hemprichianus_” will be found to belong to
_Madoqua damarensis_, and that this species extends into the southern
provinces of Angola, where the country is of the same character as in
Damaraland.
_December, 1895._
56. KIRK’S DIK-DIK.
MADOQUA KIRKI (GÜNTH.).
_Neotragus kirkii_, =Günth.= P. Z. S. 1880, p. 17 (fig. head
& skull) (Brava, S. Somaliland); =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1885, p.
222 (Kilima-njaro); =Johnston=, Kilima-njaro, p. 355 (1886);
=Hunter=, in Willoughby’s E. Africa, p. 290 (1889); =W. Scl.=
Cat. Mamm. Calc. Mus. ii. p. 166 (1891); =Flow. & Lyd.= Mamm. p.
338 (1891); =Ward=, Horn Meas. p. 79 (1892); =Lyd.= Horns and
Hoofs, p. 215 (1893); =Jackson=, Badm. Big Game Shooting, i. pp.
285, 310 (1894); =Matschie=, Ost-Afr. Säugeth. p. 118 (1895).
_Neotragus damarensis_, =True=, P. U. S. Nat. Mus. xv. p. 477,
pl. lxxx. (skull) (1892).
_Madoqua kirkii_, =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1894, p. 328.
VERNACULAR NAME:--_Paa_ of Swahilis (_Jackson and others_).--In
common with _Raphicerus campestris_ and _Neotragus moschatus_.
Size medium. Proboscis more developed than in group A. General colour
coarsely grizzled greyish fawn, more or less suffused with fulvous on
the back, and with rufous on the sides and neck. Limbs rufous, but of
very variable intensity.
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