The Book of Antelopes, Vol. 1 (of 4)

Part 1

THE

BOOK OF ANTELOPES.

PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A., PH.D., F.R.S., SECRETARY TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON,

AND

OLDFIELD THOMAS, F.Z.S., F.R.G.S., ASSISTANT IN THE ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

IN FOUR VOLUMES (1894–1900).

VOL. I.

LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1894–1900.

PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.

Dedicated

THE MEMORY

SIR VICTOR ALEXANDER BROOKE, BART.,

NATURALIST AND SPORTSMAN

(Born 5th January, 1843, died 27th November, 1891),

HIS FRIENDS AND FELLOW-WORKERS,

THE AUTHORS.

PREFACE.

A short Introduction, stating the general plan of this work, was given in the first number of ‘The Book of Antelopes,’ published in August 1894. On completing the work by the issue of the last Part it has been determined by the Authors to explain its origin and object a little more fully, and this portion of the task has been intrusted to me.

It should be quite understood, in the first place, that, as has been stated in the Introduction, the original conception of the work is due to the genius and energy of the late Sir Victor Brooke, under whose supervision the greater number of the plates and other illustrations were prepared, and I need hardly say that it is greatly regretted by the authors that Sir Victor did not live to carry out his plan. Sir Victor was elected a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London in 1864, at which time I knew him only as an ardent sportsman, much attached to Natural History. Some time in the year 1870, I think it was, he called upon me at my office, and stated that he had been attending Sir William (then Professor) Flower’s lectures at the College of Surgeons, and had quite determined to commence serious work in Natural History, being deeply interested in that subject. After talking over the matter with him for some time it was suggested that the Ruminant Mammals, with many of which Sir Victor as a sportsman was well acquainted, offered an excellent subject for work, and I promised that I would take every opportunity that fell in my way of putting at his disposal specimens of this class. I was, of course, delighted at getting a recruit for Natural History of such energy and ability. I may mention here that amongst other questions which I asked him at this interview was whether he knew German, as without a knowledge of that language it would be impossible for anyone in these days to do good work in Natural Science. Sir Victor in reply regretted his ignorance of this language, but stated that he should set to work and learn it at once. A few months afterwards I found to my surprise that he had kept his word, and was already able to translate passages in the German authorities to which he had occasion to refer. I may add that I have given the same advice more than once to other would-be students of Natural History, but that I never recollect it having been followed with such immediate and successful results.

From my position at the Zoological Society and from the aid received from numerous correspondents in all parts of the world, I had little difficulty from the first in providing my much-esteemed friend with materials for his studies, and in the beginning of 1871 had the pleasure of putting at his disposal some notes and materials concerning the Antelopes of the genus Tragelaphus. Upon these was based the excellent paper on that genus read by Sir Victor before the Zoological Society on the 16th of May of that year, the first of a series of essays on this and kindred subjects. Four similar papers, as will be seen by reference to the Zoological Society’s ‘Proceedings,’ followed in 1872, three in 1874, and others in succeeding years, until 1878, when, I regret to say, they came to an abrupt conclusion. The last of the series was one of an extremely useful and important character, containing, as it did, a complete essay on the classification of the Deer-family and a synopsis of the existing species, which, until recently, has remained our leading authority upon this difficult group of Mammals. During the whole of this time also Sir Victor had been engaged in collecting specimens, and in having drawings made by Wolf and put upon the stone by Smit, for a complete work on the Bovine animals which he had planned out and proposed to write. After 1878, however, other matters intervened and sadly interfered with my friend’s studies in Natural History. Sir Victor changed his habitual residence to Pau, and though I now saw him occasionally in London on his way from France to his home in Ireland, I could never induce him to continue his former researches, although he always assured me that he was still devoted to Natural Science and was determined to return to it eventually. Circumstances, however, prevented him from carrying his wishes into effect. In November 1891, when still in the prime of life, Sir Victor died, leaving his great work still unfinished, and represented mainly by a series of over a hundred lithographic plates, which, as already mentioned in the Introduction, have formed the basis of the present work. The MSS. which were also kindly placed at my disposal by the family, not having been touched for nearly fifteen years, were in such an incomplete state that it was impossible to utilize them. Upon pointing out this to his son, the present Sir Douglas Brooke, he was good enough to assure me that his only wish was that the best possible use for Science should be made of the whole of the materials accumulated by his father. Acting upon this understanding I undertook to prepare the letterpress of an entirely new work on the Antelopes, using such of Sir Victor’s plates as I could employ for its illustration.

Such was the origin of the present work, now happily brought to a close after a period of six years, during which it has occupied no unimportant part of my leisure time. Even so it would not have been possible for me to have accomplished it without the able assistance of my excellent friend Mr. Oldfield Thomas, of the British Museum. It was, of course, of the greatest advantage to the work that Thomas was already familiarly acquainted with the subject, and had, moreover, under his charge the unrivalled series of specimens of Mammals contained in our National Collection.

Although Thomas and I consider ourselves, of course, jointly responsible for all the statements in this work, every line of which has undergone the supervision of both authors, I may state that Thomas’s chief part of the task was, as agreed between us, to be the synonymy and scientific descriptions, and my speciality the preparation of the ordinary letterpress. I must also not omit to mention that as regards the much-vexed subject of Zoological Nomenclature my friend and I are not in perfect accord, as he takes a more severe view of the rule of priority than I am disposed to adopt. There has, therefore, been necessarily a little “give and take” on each side as to the names to be adopted in this work. For these latter, in so far as they may be held to contravene the strict laws of nomenclature, Thomas desires to disclaim--as I am willing to accept--all responsibility. It should also be mentioned that during the issue of the last volume Thomas’s somewhat serious illness and consequent absence from his post in London has compelled him to relegate some of his share in the present work to Mr. R. I. Pocock, of the British Museum, who, I need hardly say, has most efficiently assisted me in finishing the task and to whom I hereby tender my most sincere thanks.

I must also not forget to record the names of other friends and correspondents who have materially assisted us in the preparation of the ‘Book of Antelopes.’ Amongst these I must specially mention Herr Matschie, of the Natural History Museum of Berlin, who has kindly furnished many notes on the collection of Mammals under his charge in that Institution; nor must I forget the names of Mr. F. C. Selous, Herr Oscar Neumann, Mr. S. L. Hinde, Mr. F. V. Kirby, Capt. H. G. C. Swayne, Mr. Ernest Gedge, Sir Harry Johnston, K.C.B., Mr. R. Crawshay, Mr. Alfred Sharpe, Sir John Kirk, Mr. F. E. Blaauw, Mr. F. J. Jackson, Major F. C. Trollope, Dr. E. Büchner, Mr. E. Buxton, Mr. J. I. S. Whitaker, Sir Edmund Loder, Mr. A. E. Pease, Mr. Lort Phillips, Mr. T. W. H. Clarke, Mr. J. ffolliott Darling, Mr. John Millais, Mr. W. E. de Winton, and my son Mr. W. L. Sclater, Director of the South African Museum, Capetown, to all of whom, on behalf of Thomas and myself, I wish to tender our most heartfelt thanks for their kind assistance.

Finally, I may mention that this work has been issued in parts at the following dates:--

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