stance can have nothing of the nature of

tears.

the horns, the different spots on the skin, or a difference of size in each, are chiefly the marks by which their varieties are to be known; but their way of living, their nature, and their peculiar swiftness, all come under one descrip. tion."

2 Africa is the great nursery of the antelopes. They there fill up the place which the deer tribe occupy in other countries, a tribe of which the southern and cenWith the

tral regions of Africa appear to be destitute.
idea of an antelope we are apt to associate all that is

To this we may add the chevrotin, or little Guinea deer, which is the least of all clovenfooted quadrupeds, and perhaps the most beautiful; its legs, at the smallest part, are not much thicker than the shank of a tobacco pipe: it is about seven inches high, and about twelve from the point of the nose to the insertion of the tail. It is the most delicately shaped animal in the world, being completely formed like a stag in miniature; except that its horns, graceful and elegant in figure, and all that is active and when it has any, are more of the gazelle kind, sprightly in movement. To many it is true such a desbeing hollow and annulated in the same man-cription applies. The gazelle and the spring-bok offer ner. It has two canine teeth in the upper instances of exquisite proportions, and with slender and jaw; in which respect it differs from all other tapering limbs, they bound along with astonishing ease and celerity. To others, however, such a description animals of the goat or deer kind, and thus will not apply. Their size and proportions ally them to makes a species entirely distinct by itself. the ox tribe; their gait is slow and heavy, their figure This wonderful animal's colour is not less clumsy, and their eyes, instead of beaming with animapleasing; the hair, which is short and glossy, tion, are dull and spiritless. We may here instance the being in some of a beautiful yellow, except of South Africa, where it is commonly designated the Canna (Antilope oreas, Pall.). This animal is a native on the neck and belly, which is white. They eland or elk. It is of large size and ponderous form, are natives of India, Guinea, and the warm weighing, when full grown, from seven to nine hundredclimates between the tropics, and are found in weight, and is commonly very fat. Its flesh being in great plenty. But though they are amazinghigh estimation, it is much hunted, and falls an easy ly swift for their size, yet the negroes often prey to its pursuers, for it can neither run long, nor fast. It lives in large herds, which often permit a man on overtake them in the pursuit, and knock them horseback to ride into their midst without taking to flight. down with their sticks. They may be easily The withers rise, from the length of the spinous process of tamed, and then they become familiar and the vertebræ of that part, into a sort of hump; and the pleasing; but they are of such delicate consti- neck, compressed at the sides as in the ox, is furnished tutions, that they can bear no climate but the (A. caama, Cuv.), and the Koba, or grande vache brune, with a pendant dewlap. The Caama or Hartebeest hottest; and they always perish with the rig- of the French (4. koba, Ogilb.), may be also adduced. ours of ours, when they are brought over. The While on the one band we see certain groups of antemale in Guinea has horns; the female is with- lopes closely allied to the ox tribe, on the other hand out any; as are all the kinds of this animal, there are not wanting those which in form and habits closely approximate to the goat. The chamois of the to be found either in Java or Ceylon, where Alps (4. rupicapra), the goral of the elevated plains of they chiefly abound.' the Himalayan range in India (A. goral, Hardw.), the Thar of the same range (A. Thar, Hodges), the Prongbuck of the rocky mountains of North America (A. furcifer, H. Smith), and the Klipspringer of the inaccessible mountains of South Africa (A. oreotragus, Forst.), are examples in point. Were we then to compare the

Such is the list of gazelles; all which pretty nearly resemble the deer in form and delicacy of shape; but have the horns hollow, single, and permanent, like those of the goat. They properly fill up, as has been already observed, the interval between these two kinds of animals; so that it is difficult. to tell where the goat ends, and the deer may be said to begin. If we compare the gazelles with each other, we shall find but very slight distinctions between them. The turn or the magnitude of

1 The author has here confounded together two animals very distinct in their formation and manners; the pigmy antelope, and the pigmy musk. The former is a native of the hottest parts of Africa, and, like all others of its tribe, is furnished with horns, and wants the canine teeth. It is in height about nine inches, and is said to be so active, as to be able to leap over a wall twelve feet high. Its general colour is a bright bay; the horns are straight, short, strong, pointed, and quite black; the legs are hardly thicker than a quill. The pigmy musk is a native of many parts of the East Indies.

It has no

horns, and in the upper jaw there are a pair of projecting tusks or canine teeth; and it has no appendicular or false hoofs. See a description of it in the notes to next chapter.

eland on the one side, and the chamois on the other, with the gazelle of the desert, we should see at once the division line between the antelopes as a family, and the family of the ox; and that of the goat is purely arbitrary, for it will be evident that many of the larger antelopes are far more nearly allied to the ox, than to the gazelle, while the prong-horned antelope and chamois both in general form and habits represent the goat. The fact is, that the antelopes as they stand arranged in most systematic works consist of a number of distinct forms, or genera, ill-assorted together under one head;-these forms have their own exclusive characters, and stand in different degrees of relationship to each other; each form too, has its peculiar habits. Some with a muzzle covered with hair browse upon shrubs, the prehensile power of the lips fitting them for this action; others again, with a naked muzzle like that of the ox, graze the herbage of the field. Some choose the arid desert as their abode, and live in the wilds in vast herds, content with the scattered shrubs which they afford; some prefer the luxuriant borders of rivers, and plains rich in vegetation; some make the mountain ridges their home, and fearlessly traverse the edge of the most stupendous precipices, leaping from crag to crag, beyond the reach of the mest daring hunter. Others conceal themselves amidst

swiftness, and are so very shy, that dogs or practicable; nor can any animals but of the men vainly attempt to pursue them. They winged kind overtake them. Accordingly, traverse those precipices with ease and safety, in all those countries where they are chiefly which to every quadruped else are quite im- found, they are pursued by falcons; and this upon us; and then all at once, as we were ready to fire or family of the antelope. It has received from the upon them, to see them bound away, and again go pran- Dutch colonists the name of springbok, from the boundcing round us at a safer distance." This aversion to ing leaps which it takes, and also pronkbok, showy or scarlet we have ourselves noticed in individuals in cap- beautiful buck, from the colours which it discloses in leaptivity, and on one occasion much enraged a gnu by sud- ing. This latter effect is caused by two folds of the skin, denly displaying the scarlet lining of a cloak. which, ascending from the root of the tail, and terminating upon the croup, dilate when the animal is bounding, and expose a large triangular space, otherwise concealed, of pure white-coloured hair, edged by two dark streaks. The head of the animal is rather short, with somewhat of the expression of a lamb; the neck is slender, the body comparatively bulky, and the legs slender and elegantly turned. It is larger than the gazelle, but of the same make and colour.

The gnu when taken young may be tamed without much difficulty. Sparrman caught a calf, and as he says "had likewise previously seen and examined another tame one of the same size which was intended as a present for the governor: it was feared, however, that this as well as the young hartebeests which they were endeavouring to bring up tame, would be subject to a kind of furor or madness." Why so we are not informed. Mr Pringle assures us that the gnu taken young will become as domesticated as the cattle of the farm, with which it associates, harmlessly going and returning to pasture: it appears however that few farmers like to domesticate it, as it is liable to a cutaneous eruption which it communicates to the cattle, and which is invariably fatal. In confinement the gnu often becomes ferocious, and is not to be approached without caution; the females are less dangerous than the males, and more easily manageable.

on

Colonel Hamilton Smith's description of the springbok, is vivid and interesting. "It resides," he tells us, 66 the plains of South Africa, to an unknown distance in the interior, in flocks, assembling in vast herds, and migrating from north to south, and back with the monsoons. These migrations, which are said to take place in their most numerous form only at the intervals of several years, appear to come from the north-east, and in masses of many thousands, devouring, like locusts, every green herb. The lion has been seen to migrate, and With regard to the second species of gnu-viz., the walk in the midst of the compressed phalanx, with only Kokoon (Catoblepas or Antelope taurina,) it is larger as much room between him and his victims as the fears than the preceding species, which it closely resembles, of those immediately around could procure space by but with which it never associates though it inhabits the pressing outwards. The foremost of these vast columns same countries. It is far less daring than the gnu, are fat, and the rear exceedingly lean, while the dirand is sometimes found solitary, but most frequently in ection continues one way; but, with the change of the herds, which wander over the karroos, or vast plains in monsoons, when they return towards the north, the rear the interior. A fine specimen is in the Museum of the become the leaders, fattening in their turn, and leaving "Cape of Good Hope Association for exploring central the others to starve, and to be devoured by the numerous Africa," and was exhibited at the Egyptian Hall. In enemies who follow their march. At all times, when the catalogue, it is termed the Brindled or Black-tailed impelled by fear, either of the hunter, or the beast of Gnu; but the former title has already been appropriated prey darting among the flock, but principally when the to the third species (C. gorgon.) The second may be herds are assembled in countless multitudes, so that an used instead of the Booshwanna name, Kokoon. We alarm cannot spread rapidly, and open the means of are informed that "the Nu Gariep, or Black River, ap-flight, they are pressed against each other, and their pears to form the limit of its southern range; and though herds often feed almost upon the very banks of that stream, yet not an individual has been known to cross, -a circumstance the more remarkable, as the common species (C. gnu) regularly passes it for the northern districts of the colony. In manner, it appears more ferocious than it really is. It will approach the hunter, as In the first volume of the Menageries,' in the 'Libif to do battle with him, and then scamper from himrary of Entertaining Knowledge,' there are a number of with as much alacrity as the most timid animal that interesting particulars, some of which were communiflies at his first glance. It is met with in considerable cated by the late Mr Pringle, respecting the migrations herds in the more extensive plains north of the Orange of the springbok. The author of that volume remarks, river; and when alarmed, each herd decamps in long "The migrations of innumerable companies of springregular files. The flesh of this species, in common boks from unknown regions in the interior of Africa to with the other, is much sought after as food, both by the abodes of civilization, are amongst the most extraorthe natives and by such colonists as obtain permission to dinary examples of the fecundity of animal life. The cross the boundaries of the colony for the purpose of hunt- vast quantity of a species of birds of South America, ing, and is considered both wholesome and palatable. which produce the guanno (a manure) in sufficient abun The Bechuanas use the skin for their cloaks or mantles." dance to be a great article of commerce-the flocks of Of the third species, the C. gorgon of Colonel Hamilton pigeons of North America-the locusts of Africa-are Smith, little is known. A specimen exists in the Mu- not more striking than the herds of springboks." seum of the London Missionary Society, which was brought from South Africa. It is certainly very dis-letter addressed to Mr Pringle, which was afterwards tinct from either of the preceding animals. Le Vaillant, in his second voyage, notices a variety of the gnu, which is not unlikely to be identical with this. Colonel H. Smith supposes it to be the Baas of the Dutch boors of South Africa, the name (which signifies master) pro-admiring that elegant antelope, the springbok, thinly bably referring to its bold and fierce disposition.

The springer antelope, or springbok (buck) of the Cape of Good Hope is a beautiful species of the genus

VOL. I.

anxiety to escape impels them to bound up in the air, showing at the same time the white spot on the croup dilated by the effort, and closing again in their descent, and producing that beautiful effect from which they have obtained the name of springer and showy bok."

Captain Stockenstrom, a native of the Cape, in a

appended as a note to Mr Thompson's Travels,' and is also given in the volume of the Menageries' alluded to, says, "It is scarcely possible for a person passing over some of the extensive tracts of the interior and

scattered over the plains, and bounding in playful innocence, to figure to himself that these ornaments of the desert can often become as destructive as the locusts 2 R

admirable manner of hunting makes one of the principal amusements of the upper ranks of people all over the East. The Arabians, Persians, and Turks, breed up for this pur

pose that kind of hawk called the falcon gentle, with which, when properly trained, they go forth on horseback among the forests and the mountains, the falcon perching upon the hand themselves. The incredible numbers which sometimes ing of it would have been excusable. The shot fired pour in from the north, during protracted droughts, dis- contributed, though not to our gain, yet to our pleasure, tress the farmer inconceivably. Any attempt at numeri- for it set them in motion, and the swiftness and elegance cal computation would be vain; and by trying to come of their movements were well worth observing." near the truth, the writer would subject himself, in the The springbok, like the hare, conceals itself in cover eyes of those who have no knowledge of the country, to during the day, and resorts to the open plain in the a suspicion that he was availing himself of a traveller's evening and at night, for the purpose of feeding only. assumed privilege. Yet it is well known in the interior The Cape antelope, in fact, perfectly resembles the hare that, on the approach of the Trek-bokken, as these migra- in all its characteristics. It lies continually in its form, tory swarms are called, the grazier makes up his mind-leaving it only to procure food, or to escape from its to look for pasture for his flocks elsewhere, and considers enemies. The bok is shot in great numbers by the himself entirely dispossessed of his lands until heavy Dutch boors. This sport is usually pursued on horserains fall." Captain Stockenstrom accounts, in the fol- back, and in the heat of the day. The animal is then lowing apparently satisfactory manner, for the cause of lying in its habitual lair, and, on being disturbed by the the migrations of the springbok. The immense desert sportsman, springs from it with a succession of bounds, tracts between Orange river and the colony of the Cape, than which nothing can be more beautiful or graceful. westward of the Zeekoe river, though destitute of per- The Dutch boor is generally an unerring shot; but in manent springs, and therefore uninhabitable by human case the antelope should be only wounded, the buckdog beings for any length of time, are, notwithstanding, in- (a species of large mongrel) is always at the heels of his terspersed with stagnant pools, and vleys, or natural master's horse, and, at the report of his gun, darts for. reservoirs of brackish water, which, however bad, satis- ward and secures the animal. It is then placed behind fies the game. In these endless plains the springboks the saddle. The horse used in buck-shooting is the multiply, undisturbed by the hunter (except when, occa- hardy and serviceable animal common to the country. sionally, the Bosjesman destroys a few with his poisoned Many of them are so well trained, that they stop the inarrows), until the country literally swarms with them; stant the bok gets up, but in most cases a slight check when, perhaps, one year out of four or five, a lasting is necessary; the rein is then dropped on the neck, and drought leaves the pools exhausted, and parches up the the horse is motionless. soil naturally inclined to sterility. Thus want, principally of water, drives those myriads of animals either to the Orange river or to the Colony, when they intrude in the manner described. But when the thunder-clouds burst on the parched-up country, the swarms again retreat to their more sterile but peaceful and secluded plains.

Mr Pringle once passed through a migratory swarm scattered over the grassy plains near the Little Fish river. He could not profess to estimate their numbers; -he says they whitened, or rather speckled the country as far as the eye could reach. A gentleman riding with him, better acquainted than Mr Pringle with such scenes, affirmed that, within view, there could not be less than 25,000 or 30,000.

The Nyl-ghau was quite unknown to the older naturalists. A notice of a nameless "Quadruped brought from Bengal," inserted by Dr Parsons in the forty-third volume of the Philosophical Transactions, and accompanied by an imperfect figure, appears to contain the earliest description of this fine species of antelope. But neither the description nor the figure were recognised as belonging to the Nyl-ghau, when the latter again made its appearance in England in 1767. A pair, male and female, were in that year sent from Bombay as a present to Lord Clive, to whom we are indebted for the first introduction of many rare and interesting animals. Shortly afterwards a second pair, which had been presented to the Queen, were placed by her Majesty, at the disposal of Dr William Hunter, who published also, in the Philosophical Transactions, a full and detailed de

Mr Pringle describes the springbok as easily tamed when caught young. It is occasionally reared as a play-scription of them, together with an excellent figure from thing for the children at the farms of the colonists.

The following extract from the work of the Rev. C. J. Latrobe, who paid a missionary visit to South Africa in 1816, is introduced for the sake of the right-hearted feeling which marks it :

the pencil of Stubbs, the most distinguished animal painter of his day. They were immediately adopted by Pennant in his Synopsis, where they were again figured, as a species of antelope; and his classification has been followed by Pallas, and all subsequent systematists.

The male Nyl-ghau is superior in stature to the stag, as well as more robust in his proportions. His head is

"Here we were amused by the sight of some hundreds of springboks, one of the most elegant antelopes of this country. They stood in parties of twenty or thirty together, and our sportsmen were all alive endeavouring to approach near enough to make sure of their aim. But all attempts were vain: the bucks suffered them to approach to within gun-shot, when they set off full speed, leaping sometimes over each other. They bounded along, in a species of dance, springing with all four feet at once from the ground, then, swiftly facing about, surveyed their pursuers. Sixteen shot were fired at them, but not in a single instance did it appear that one had been wounded. This afforded me great pleasure; for as we had no dogs to run down and secure any one that rather large; his muzzle long and narrow; his ears might have had a leg broken, or been otherwise hurt, middle-sized, open, and terminating abruptly in an ob it must have given pain to any feeling mind to know tuse point; his neck long and thick; his shoulders surthat the poor animal was lamed, and grievously suffer- mounted by a slight hump; his hinder quarters much ing, without benefit to us, and would most likely be less elevated than his fore parts; his legs thicker than made the prey of some cruel ravenous beast. Could we those of most other antelopes; and his tail of considerhave obtained one of them for our subsistence, the kill.able length, reaching below the joint of the leg, and end

of the hunter. Their expedition is conducted to pursue any farther, but seems ashamed of with profound silence; their dogs are taught its own inability. to hang behind; while the men, on the There is still another way of taking the fleetest coursers, look round for the game. gazelle, which seems not so certain nor so amusWhenever they spy a gazelle at the proper ing as either of the former. A tame gazelle distance, they point the falcon to its object, is bred up for this purpose, who is taught to and encourage it to pursue. The falcon, with join those of its kind, wherever it perceives the swiftness of an arrow, flies to the animal, them. When the hunter therefore, perceives that, knowing its danger, endeavours, but too a herd of these together, he fixes a noose round late, to escape. The falcon soon coming up the horns of the tame gazelle, in such a manwith its prey, fixes its talons, one into the ner, that if the rest but touch it they are animal's cheek, the other in its throat, and entangled; and thus prepared, he sends his deeply wounds it. On the other hand, the gazelle among the rest. The tame animal no gazelle attempts to escape, but is generally sooner approaches, but the males of the herd wounded too deeply to run far. The falcon instantly sally forth to oppose him; and, in clings with the utmost perseverance, nor ever butting with their horns, are caught in the leaves its prey till it falls; upon which the noose. In this both, struggling for some time, hunters from behind approaching, take up fall together to the ground; and, at last, the both, and reward the falcon with the blood of hunter coming up, disengages the one, and the spoil. They also teach the young ones, kills the other. Upon the whole, however, by applying them to the dead animal's throat these animals, whatever be the arts used to and accustoming them betimes to fix upon pursue them, are very difficult to be taken. that particular part; for if it should happen As they are continually subject to alarms that the falcon fixed upon any other part of from carnivorous beasts, or from man, they the gazelle, either its back or its haunches, keep chiefly in the most solitary and inaccesthe animal would easily escape among the sible places, and find their only protection mountains, and the hunter would also lose from situations of the greatest danger. his falcon. They sometimes also hunt these animals with the ounce. This carnivorous and fierce creature being made tame and domestic, generally sits on horseback behind the hunter, and remains there with the utmost composure, until the gazelle is shown; it is then that it exerts all its arts and fierceness ss; it does not at once fly at its prey, but ap. proaches slily, turning and winding about until it comes within the proper distance, when all at once it bounds upon the heedless animal, and instantly kills it, and sucks its blood. If, on the other hand, it misses its aim, it rests in its place, without attempting

CHAP. IV.

OF THE MUSK ANIMAL.

THE more we search into nature, the more we shall find how little she is known; and we shall more than once have occasion to find, that protracted inquiry is more apt to teach us modesty, than to produce information. Although the number and nature of quadrupeds

ing in a tuft of long hairs. His eyes are full, black, hunted by the Mogul emperor Aurung-zebe during his and prominent; and his suborbital sinuses large and ob- progress from Delhi to his summer retreat in Cashmere. vious. The form of his horns is conical and slightly It would seem from the numbers of which he speaks as curved, with the concavity directed inwards and the being sometimes taken on those occasions, to be very points turned forwards. They take their origin by a abundant; but we have not, up to the present time, any triangular base of considerable thickness, marked with particular account of its habits in a state of nature. In two or three indistinctly elevated rings, but become per-captivity it is gentle and familiar, licking the hands of fectly round and smooth above, tapering rapidly into a rather obtuse point. Their length is from seven to eight inches; and their colour a uniform dull black, corresponding with that of the hoofs.

The female is much smaller than the male, and at the same time lighter and more slender in her proportions. She is entirely destitute of horns, has less hump on the shoulders, and her hind quarters are more nearly on a level with her fore. Her general colour, as also that of the young male, is a pale reddish brown.

The Nyl-ghaus appear to be by no means generally spread over the peninsula of Hindoostan, but to be coufined to its north-western provinces and the countries situated between them and Persia. Bernier, who alone of all the older travellers mentions the animal by name or in such a manner as to admit of its being recognised, introduces it incidentally as one of the beasts which were

those who offer it bread, and suffering itself to be played with, not only without shyness, but with evident pleasure. There are, however, seasons at which it becomes capricious in its temper. When meditating an attack it falls suddenly upon its fore knees, shuffles onwards in that posture until it has advanced to within a few paces of the object of its irritation, and then darts forward with a powerful spring, and butts with its head in the most determined manner. Its walk is awkward in consequence of the comparative shortness of its hind legs, and the width to which it extends them; but in running this defect is scarcely perceptible. Lord Clive's original specimens several times produced young; but we are not aware that the breed has been continued, or that the same success has attended their introduction in other quarters.