The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
What little we know of this Gazelle is chiefly due to the researches
of the late Baron Theodor von Heuglin, an energetic collector and
observer of the Mammals and Birds of North-eastern Africa, whose name
we have already had frequent occasion to mention in the pages of this
work. In the absence of any better designation, we have selected
“Heuglin’s Gazelle” as its English name, which is so far applicable
that, besides being its first describer, Heuglin is the only naturalist
that has recorded observations on it as met with in its native wilds.
Heuglin passed several months in the fertile territory of Bogos, north
of Abyssinia (now, we believe, included in the Italian colony of
“Eritrea”), when attached to the German expedition sent out in search
of the much-lamented traveller Dr. Eduard Vogel. He thoroughly explored
this country, which is traversed by the River Anseba, and discovered
many new birds and mammals, which were subsequently described in his
various works. Amongst the mammals was the present species of Gazelle,
which he met with only “on the bushy plains round Ain-Saba from 3000
to 5000 feet above the sea-level, in small families of from three to
six individuals.” In his original description Heuglin called this
Gazelle _Antilope melanura_, but subsequently altered its specific
name to “_tilonura_,” there having been already an _Antilope melanura_
of Bechstein, which term is, however, a useless synonym of the Oribi
(_Ourebia scoparia_). We have not been able to discover what the term
“_tilonura_” means, but follow the change, which has been adopted by
Sir Victor Brooke and other authors.
Little more, we regret to say, can be told of this beautiful species,
which is readily distinguishable amongst its congeners by its broad
black lateral stripe and lyre-shaped horns with incurved points. Sir
Victor Brooke gave a figure of it from a stuffed specimen in his own
collection to illustrate his article on the Gazelles in the Zoological
Society’s ‘Proceedings’ for 1873. Our figure (Plate LXVI.), which was
prepared by Smit under the direction of Sir Victor Brooke, was probably
taken from the same specimen, now in the British Museum, to which it
has been presented by Sir Douglas Brooke. It was obtained in Bogosland
by Essler about 1872. Four other examples of this Gazelle procured
at the same time by the same collector are also in the National
Collection. From two of these the accompanying illustrations of the
head and horns (figs. 71 & 72, p. 160) have been prepared by Mr. Smit.
_May,_ 1898.
[Illustration:
THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES, PL. LXVII.
_Wolf del. J. Smit lith._ _Hanhart imp._
The Red-fronted Gazelle.
GAZELLA RUFIFRONS.
_Published by R. H Porter_]
97. THE RED-FRONTED GAZELLE.
GAZELLA RUFIFRONS, GRAY.
[PLATE LXVII.]
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