The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
About the same time as the Zoological Society’s specimens arrived in
England it would appear that living examples of the same Antelope
reached the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. One of these, an immature
female, was figured by Geoffrey St.-Hilaire and F. Cuvier on the 375th
plate of their ‘Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères.’ In the letterpress
accompanying this plate we are informed that two young living examples
(male and female) had been received there, and that the female had
lived in good health for two years without changing her colour, only
varying in the size of her body and in the shape of her horns. The
authors inform us that when the “Nanguers” arrived at Paris they had
only very short horns, about 4 or 5 inches in length, which were at
that period strongly and uniformly curved towards the front. The male
having died when young did not change the character of his horns, but
those of the female having had time to develop became recurved behind
and divergent one from the other. These Gazelles had neither tear-bags
nor knee-brushes. When the figure was drawn the female stood about 2
feet 10 inches in height, but seemed to be not fully grown.
The authors of the ‘Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères’ refer these
specimens to the “Nanguer” of Buffon, and do not say from what country
they were received, but from their figure and description there can be
no doubt that they belonged to the _Gazella mhorr_ of Morocco and
not to the true _G. dama_ of Senegal, if these two species are
held to be distinct.
The only example of _Gazella mhorr_ in the British Museum is the
mounted adult male from Morocco presented to the Zoological Society by
Mr. Willshire in 1833, and formerly in that Society’s collection. It is
no doubt the specimen from which Bennett’s figure in the ‘Transactions’
was taken, and is also, we believe, the original of our illustration
(Plate LXXII.), which was put upon the stone by Mr. Smit under the
direction of the late Sir Victor Brooke. Further information concerning
this and other animals of Southern Morocco is much required, but until
the present political conditions of that country are altered we are
hardly likely to obtain it.
_September,_ 1898.
GENUS VII. AMMODORCAS.
Type.
_Ammodorcas_, =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1891, p. 207 A. CLARKEI.
Size medium, about as in middle-sized Gazelles. Neck slender and rather
elongated, but not so much as that of _Lithocranius_. Tail long,
reaching nearly to the hocks. No Gazelline body-markings present, but
the head with typically Gazelline streaks and bands. False hoofs small.
Skull long and low, approaching in shape that of _Lithocranius_,
but less modified. Shallow anteorbital fossæ present. Premaxillæ
reaching nasals. Premolars 3/3, the anterior in each jaw unusually
small.
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