Part 9

More recently heads of this Antelope have been obtained on the Gambia by Dr. Percy Rendall, F.Z.S., and by Sir R. B. Llewelyn, the present Governor. The latter were exhibited by Sclater at a meeting of the Zoological Society on May 3rd, 1898, when attention was called to the large number of fine Antelopes that occur in the Gambia Colony, and to the desirableness of procuring further information about them. According to the notes supplied to us by Sir R. B. Llewelyn, the Roan Antelope, which is the “Da Kevoi” of the Mandingos, is found in some places in Jara and Kiaung, and is common in Eastern Niammina.

The horns in question are those of a not fully adult animal, measuring 26½ inches along the curvature. They do not present any noticeable features to distinguish them from those of Hippotragus equinus typicus of South Africa.

The existence of this Antelope in West Africa has been further confirmed by Herr Matschie, who has included it in his list of Mammals of the German Protectorate of Togo, on the Gulf of Guinea, where it occurs on the uplands of the interior. Herr Matschie kindly informs us that the Berlin Museum has received from that locality a defective head and skin without horns from Misa-höhe, transmitted by Herr Baumann, and two skulls of females from Bismarckburg (Kling and Conrad). In the collection of the British Museum there are also a scalp and skull of a young male of the Roan Antelope obtained at Balaga, Beaufort Island, on the Niger, and presented by Capt. A. J. Richardson.

Lastly, we may add that there is a fine young male Roan Antelope now living in the Zoological Garden, Antwerp, which is stated to have been received from Senegal, and, if so, would probably belong to the subspecies now under consideration.

As regards the name to be used for this local form or subspecies of the Roan Antelope a few words are necessary. Gray, in his ‘Catalogue of the Ruminants,’ published in 1872, proposed to call it “koba”—no doubt because of Whitfield’s assurances that it was the “Kob” or “Koba” of the Jolliffs, and, as will be seen by our list of synonyms, several subsequent authors have followed Gray’s lead. But we have already fully discussed the question of this much-vexed name (see Vol. I. p. 60), and have shown that it is hopeless to attempt to refer the “Koba” of Buffon satisfactorily to any of the species with which it has been identified. It follows that the Latin specific term “koba,” founded on Buffon’s name, must also fall to the ground. Under these circumstances we propose to designate the western form of the Roan Antelope Hippotragus equinus gambianus, as being the representative of this species in the Gambia.

South of Togo, along the West-African coast down to the Congo and in the great Congo valley itself, we are not aware of the Roan Antelope ever having been met with; nor is it likely to occur there, as the uniform dense forest which covers these districts would be little suited to its habits. But when we proceed further south to Mossamedes and the interior of Angola, where the country becomes drier and more open, the Roan Antelope is again found. Dr. Jentink mentions it in his article on the mammals collected in Mossamedes by Mr. P. J. van der Kellen (Notes Leyd. Mus. ix. p. 173); and Prof. J. V. Barboza du Bocage includes it in his catalogue of the Mammals of Angola, published in 1892, as having been received from Golungo Alto in the interior, where, along with the Sable Antelope, it is known by the native name of “Palanca” or “Malanca” (Jorn. Ac. Sc. Lisboa, 2, ii. p. 26). We presume that the Angolan representative of the Roan Antelope will be found to belong to the typical South-African form Hippotragus equinus typicus.

The specimens of the Roan Antelope in the British Museum consist of a mounted adult male and a young one, and the skeleton of a male, from Mashonaland, presented by Mr. F. C. Selous (exhibited in the gallery); an adult male presented by Sir Andrew Smith, being the specimen figured in his ‘Illustrations,’ as above referred to; a female presented by Lord Derby; and a skin and skull of an adult from Lake Mweru, presented by Mr. Crawshay. There are also several pairs of horns, one of which was received from Dr. Burchell. These specimens all belong to the typical form.

Of the East-African H. equinus rufo-pallidus the British Museum has only the scalp and skull from Machakos (Dr. Hinde) above referred to.

Of H. e. bakeri the British Museum has two skulls (♂ et ♀) from the Atbara, obtained by the collector Essler.

Of the West-African H. e. gambianus the series in the National Collection comprises a pair of frontlets (♂ et ♀) from Gambia (Whitfield) presented by Lord Derby, a scalp and skull from the Upper Gambia presented by Dr. Percy Kendall (above referred to), and the specimen from the Niger presented by Capt. Richardson.

This series, as is evident, is quite insufficient to solve the vexed question as to the amount of distinctness of the four geographical forms or subspecies, which must remain open for future investigators.

Our illustration of the adult male of this Antelope (Plate LXXVII.) was put on the stone by Mr. Smit, about twenty years ago, from a water-colour sketch by Mr. Wolf. It is now impossible to ascertain from what specimen this sketch was taken, but it is conjectured to have been from a skin and skull procured by Mr. Selous in S.E. Africa. At the same time a wood-block of the head (fig. 90, p. 29) was drawn, which shows well the essential differences between the Roan Antelope and the Sable Antelope (see fig. 91, p. 38).

January, 1899.

112. THE SABLE ANTELOPE.

HIPPOTRAGUS NIGER (Harr.).

Aigocerus niger, =Harris=, P. Z. S. 1838, p. 2 (Jan. 9); =id.= Tr. Z. S. ii. p. 213, pl. xxxix. (1838); =id.= Portr. Wild Anim. S. Afr. p. 126, pl. xxiii. (1840); =Gray=, List Mamm. B. M. p. 158 (1843); =id.= Knowsl. Men. p. 17 (1850); =id.= P. Z. S. 1850, p. 133; =id.= Cat. Ung. B. M. p. 104 (1852); =Harris=, Wild Sports S. Afr. (ed. 5) pp. 216 & 349, pl. xxii. (1852); =Gerrard=, Cat. Bones Mamm. B. M. p. 240 (1862); =Scl.= P. Z. S. 1864, p. 103 (Kazeh, Speke); =Kirk=, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 658 (Zambesia); =Fitz.= SB. Wien, lix. pt. 1, p. 177 (1869); =Gray=, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 35 (1872); =id.= Hand-1. Rum. B. M. p. 103 (1873); =Huet=, Bull. Soc. Acclim. (4) iv. p. 480 (1887); =Jent.= Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 135 (1887); =id.= Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (op. cit. xi.) p. 166 (1892).

Antilope nigra, =Gerv.= Dict. Sci. Nat., Suppl. i. p. 265 (1840); =Laurill.= Dict. Univ. d’H. N. i. p. 618 (1841); =Wagn.= Schr. Säug., Suppl. iv. p. 484 (1844), v. p. 436 (1855); =Schinz=, Syn. Mamm. ii. p. 442 (1845); =id.= Mon. Antil. p. 38, pl. xliii. (1848); =Peters=, Säug. Mossamb. p. 190 (1852).

Hippotragus niger, =Sund.= Pecora, K. Vet.-Ak. Handl. 1844, p. 197 (1846); =id.= Hornschuch’s Transl., Arch. Skand. Beitr. ii. p. 148; Reprint, p. 72 (1848); =Hengl.= Ant. u. Büff. N.O.-Afr. (N. Act. Leop. xxx. pt. 2) p. 16 (1863) (Shilluk Co.); =Scl.= P. Z. S. 1868, p. 218; =Buckley=, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 288; =Bocage=, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 745 (Mossamedes); =Brehm=, Thierl. iii. p. 227 (1880); =Selous=, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 756; id. Hunter’s Wanderings, p. 214 (1881); =Scl.= List Anim. Z. S. (8) p. 139 (1883), (9) p. 158 (1896); =Flow. & Gars.= Cat. Coll. Surg. ii. p. 263 (1884); =Johnston=, Kilimanjaro, p. 354; =Crawshay=, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 660 (Nyasa); =Bocage=, J. Sci. Lisb. (2) ii. p. 26 (1890) (Mossamedes); =Flow. & Lyd.= Mamm. p. 343 (1891); =Ward=, Horn Meas. (1) p. 137 (1892), (2) p. 178 (1896); =Nicolls & Egl.= Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 50 (1892); =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1893, p. 504 (Zomba); =Lyd.= Horns and Hoofs, p. 245 (1893); =Lugard=, E. Afr. i. p. 533 (1893); =Jackson=, in Badm. Big Game Shooting, i. pp. 285 & 293 (1894); =Lorenz=, Ann. Mus. Wien, ix., Notizen, p. 62 (1894); =Rendall=, P. Z. S. 1895, p. 362 (Transvaal); =Matsch.= Säug. DeutschO.-Afr. p. 134 (1895); =Scl.= P. Z. S. 1896, p. 506 (Zomba); =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1896, p. 797 (Nyasaland); id. P. Z. S. 1897, p. 939 (Zomba); =Troness.= Cat. Mamm. fasc. iv. p. 952 (1898).

Aegoceros niger, var. kirkii, =Gray=, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 35 (1872) (Zambesia).

Ozanna nigra, =Brehm=, Thierl. iii. p. 227 (1880).

Aigocerus harrisi, =Harris=, Wild Sports of S. Africa, (ed. 1) pp. 261 & 378 (1839).

Vernacular Names:—Sable Antelope or Harris-buck of English; Zwart Wit Pens of Dutch; Potoquane of Southern Bechuanas; Qualata inchu of Bamangwatos and Makalolos; Umtjiele of Matabilis; Pala-Pala of Makalakas; Impengo of Masubias; Ookwa of Makubas; Sulvpe of Masaras (Selous). Inguarato and Marabulla of Mashoonas (Darling). Mbarapi of Ajawa; Mpala-Mpala of Anyanja, Angonis, and other Nyasa races (Crawshay). Palla-Halla in Swahili (Matschie).

Size rather less than in the Roan Antelope; adult male about 52 inches at the withers. General colour a rich glossy black, at least in adult males, only relieved by the white of the face-markings, of the inner surface of the ear, and of the belly. Centre line of face black, outside which there is a white streak reaching from the bases of the horns to the muzzle, succeeded again on the cheeks by a black band. Lips and region of lower jaw white. Ears of ordinary length, their tips not pencilled. Mane well developed, the hairs directed backward. A throat-mane present. Belly and back of hams sharply defined white. Limbs black, the inner sides of the thighs white. Whole of tail black.

Skull-dimensions of an adult male from Nyasaland:—Basal length 15·7 inches, greatest breadth 6·55, muzzle to orbit 11.

Horns much longer than in H. equinus, compressed laterally, their longitudinal much greater than their transverse diameter, heavily ringed, boldly curved backward. In length they are often 43 or 44 inches long round the front curve, the record being 46 inches.

Female. Similar to the male, but more or less brownish in colour; horns (just as in H. equinus) more slender and smooth, less curved, and rather shorter than in the male.

Hab. Eastern Africa, from the Northern Transvaal to German East Africa.

The distinguished traveller and sportsman Sir William Cornwallis Harris whose works we have so often quoted in these pages, was the discoverer of this Antelope, which was characterized by Gordon-Cuming—the great African hunter—as “one of the loveliest animals which graces this fair creation.” Harris writes in one of his works that “the desire nearest to his heart” from the beginning of his journey had been to “discover something new”; and in the present instance he certainly succeeded. But we will let him tell his story in his own words.