The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
Height at withers 39 inches in an old male. General colour of back rich
chestnut rufous, sharply bounded on the upperside of each flank by the
very distinct light lateral line, which passes below imperceptibly into
fawn-colour, much paler than the dorsal colour, no trace of a dark
lateral line being present. The fawn-colour also extends on to the
crown, all round the neck, on the shoulders, hips, and down the limbs.
Central line of face deep rufous; area round eye whitish, sometimes
extended forwards as a light final streak towards the muzzle, but more
often stopping just anterior to the openings of the lacrymal glands.
Backs of ears pale fawn-colour; area round their bases but little
lighter than rest of head. Fawn-colour of throat projecting down on to
chest, as in _Ammodorcas clarkei_. Outer sides of limbs pale fawn
throughout. Tail about 10 inches in length, rufous-fawn like the body
basally above, whitish below, the tip tufted with black; on each side
of its base the white of the hams, which is very narrow, runs up as a
pointed projection into the dark body-colour.
The skull of an old male measures 8·75 inches in basal length, the
greatest breadth being 3·8, and the muzzle to orbit 4·7.
The horns of good specimens attain 15 or 16 inches in length round the
curves, but southern specimens, those from East Africa, have not, as a
rule, such fine horns as those from Somaliland.
_Female._ Similar to the male, but without horns.
_Hab._ Somaliland, and thence southwards to the Tana
Valley, and the Kilimanjaro district of British East Africa.
This Antelope was first made known to science by the late Sir Victor
Brooke in 1878 in the last of the many excellent articles which he
published in the Zoological Society’s ‘Proceedings.’ His description
was based on two skulls with horns attached to them which were lent to
him for examination by Mr. Gerald Waller, F.Z.S., at whose request they
were named by Brooke after Mr. Waller’s brother, “who lost his life in
Africa.”
Although it is not so stated by Brooke (who was presumably ignorant of
the fact), Mr. Waller’s specimens of this Antelope are now known to
have been given to him by Sir John Kirk, at that time H.B.M. Consul at
Zanzibar. In reply to enquiries Sir John kindly informs us that these
skulls were procured by hunters in his employment on the coast near the
River Juba in Southern Somaliland. Sir John subsequently shot specimens
of it himself in the same district (where at that period it was very
common), and also brought living examples of it away to Zanzibar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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