The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
“Although living in such remote and sequestered regions, the
Thibetan Antelope is wary in its habits. In the mornings and
evenings it frequents the grassy margins of glacial streams,
which frequently flow between steep banks gradually scarped out
by the floods of centuries and now remote from the ordinary
water’s edge. The ravines have, for the most part, been cut
through gently sloping valleys; and on ascending their steep
sides, slightly undulating plains will be found to stretch away,
until they merge in the easy slopes of the rounded hills which
bound the valley. To these plains the Antelope betake themselves
during the day, and there they excavate hollows deep enough
to conceal their bodies, from which, themselves unperceived,
they can detect any threatening danger at a great distance. In
addition to the concealment afforded by their ‘shelter pits,’
they have an additional safeguard against surprise in the
constant _mirage_ which prevails on these stony wastes
during the bright hours of the day. This _mirage_ not
only distorts all visible objects in an extraordinary manner,
but, like rippling water, refracts the rays of light to such a
degree as to render objects altogether invisible at very short
distances. It is, of course, worst near the surface of the
ground, but on very hot days it attains a level of several feet;
and I well remember, on one occasion, observing the slender
horns of an Antelope gliding past me within three hundred yards,
apparently borne on the surface of a glassy stream, in which
the wearer of the horns was submerged and completely hidden
from view! When Antelope are feeding on the grassy flats by the
streams is the time when they may be easily approached; and then
a knowledge of the ground, and of the habits of the animal,
renders success in stalking them tolerably certain.”
How far the Chiru extends into the high plateau of Northern Asia
beyond the Himalayas it is yet a little uncertain. Dr. Blanford, in
his account of the mammals collected by Stoliczka during the Second
Yarkand Mission (where excellent coloured figures of both sexes of this
Antelope are given), tells us that it has been found in the Kuen-lun
range, but has not been met with further north-west or west. It is
also, as we are told by the great Russian traveller and naturalist
Przewalski, a characteristic animal of the highlands of Northern Tibet.
The “Orongo,” as it is here called by the Monguls and Tanguts, was
first met with by the great traveller after crossing the Burkhan Buddha
range, beyond which it was found distributed to the south as far as the
Tang-la mountains. In Mr. Delmar Morgan’s translation of Przewalski’s
travels will be found the following passages relating to the habits of
this animal, of which, in the original Russian edition of the work,
both sexes are figured:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account