The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 3 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
In 1849 Fraser published a figure of this species in his ‘Zoologia
Typica,’ taken from Ogilby’s typical specimen, which is now in the
British Museum. Although imported from Mogador there can be little
doubt that this example was originally obtained from the chain of
the neighbouring Atlas. The Gazelles observed in the Great Atlas in
company with Wild Sheep (_Ovis tragelaphus_) by Mr. W. B. Harris,
F.R.G.S., on his journey from Morocco to Tafilat in 1893, were no doubt
_Gazella cuvieri_.
Passing on to Algeria we find that Loche appears to have referred to
this Antelope under the name _Gazella corinna_, and that Canon
Tristram and Lataste have called it _Gazella kevella_. We have
already shown, however, that both these names are properly to be
applied to the Dorcas Gazelle.
In 1890, Mr. Edward Buxton met with this Gazelle during a shooting
excursion into the Atlas, of which he has given us a most interesting
account in one of the chapters of his ‘Short Stalks.’ Mr. Buxton’s
principal object of pursuit on that occasion was the Aroui or Barbary
Sheep (_Ovis tragelaphus_), but he also had the good fortune to
obtain a fine head of the Mountain Gazelle, which he exhibited at a
meeting of the Zoological Society on March 31st of that year (see P. Z.
S. 1890, p. 363).
Mr. Buxton tells us, in the course of the remarks he made on this
occasion, that the Mountain Gazelle of Algeria is “about twice the size
of the Gazelle of the plains (_Gazella dorcas_), and has straight
instead of lyre-shaped horns. It lives on the same kind of steep ground
as the Aroui, perhaps at a rather lower elevation. The fact that it is
essentially a mountain animal is, I think, shown by its large callous
knees, like those of a London cab-horse. The Aroui has the same. They
are, I think, absent in _Gazella dorcas_. Another feature consists
in the curious hollows or pouches on each side of the testicles.”
In his ‘Short Stalks’ Mr. Buxton gives us full particulars of his
adventures in obtaining the much-coveted head of this animal above
referred to, and illustrates them by a beautiful picture of a group of
these Gazelles drawn and engraved after his instructions by Mr. G. E.
Lodge.
In his field-notes on the Antelopes of Eastern Algeria, published in
the Zoological Society’s ‘Proceedings’ for 1896, Mr. A. E. Pease speaks
as follows of the present species:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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