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Show 210 MR. O. THOMAS ON SOME [Mar. 17, Mr. Clarke informs me that the female of Ammodorcas is without horns, a character which allies it still more closely with Lithocranius, and removes it from the typical Gazelles. The exact locality at which he obtained the specimens is about a day and a half from the Buroa Wells, Central Somali, about 100 miles south of Berbera. 4. GAZELLA SOSMMERRINGI, Cr. o*. L. 449. C 133. Rings 22. o*. L. 450. C. 127. Rings 22. 6*. L. 425. C. 130. Rings 21. $ . L. 406. C. 75. As noted by Mr. Lort Phillips l, the Soemmerring's Gazelles of Somali are larger and have longer horns than those found in Abyssinia. Mr. Clarke's female horns are especially noteworthy for their length and slenderness. 5. GAZELLA SPEKEI, Blyth. Gazella spekei, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv. p. 296 (1856) (description); id. Cat. Mamm. Mus. As. Soc. p. 172 (1863) (name given); Blauf. Zool. Abyss, p. 261, pi. i. fig. 5 (1870); Kohl, Ann. Mus. Wien, i. p. 77, pis. iii., iv. (animal, skull, and horns) (1886). Gazella, sp. (Flabby-nosed Gazelle), Lort Phillips, P. Z. S. 1885, p. 932. Gazella naso, Sclat. P. Z. S. 1886, p. 504, pi. Ii. (head). 6*. L. 292. C. 107. Rings 21. "They have small ears and a long upper lip, just like those of G. walleri or a Giraffe. The horns are of the shape of a sickle, and less than 12 inches in length, the longest, out of the 11 males killed, measuring 11 inches. The tail, from what I remember, is about 12 or 13 inches in length, very thin, and thinly covered with black hair about one inch loug. " The colour of the body is like that of the neck, of a kind of pink fawn, but the belly is whitish and the tail black. " The face resembles that of G. walleri, ouly G. walleri has no white from the eye. " W h e n running, or rather jumping, they look very peculiar; their long neck and head thrown back and the tail thrown forward, and there appears to be only a foot between head and tail. " The country they are mostly found in is of low thorn-bush and sandy ; they do not seem to like the big bushes, though at times they are found there. In this respect they differ from G. walleri, this species liking many bushes to go and rest in. " The new Gazelle is to be found one day's journey from Buroa Wells, at an elevation of 3100 feet, to the Marchan country (800 feet), general course about S. by E., and is more numerous than any other kind of game, excepting G. scemmerringi; but these are found only in the open country. " Several times I saw the new Gazelle and G. walleri feeding together, but I never saw more than eight in a bunch, and on this occasion there was a male G. scemmerringi with them. " They have great vitality ; this I put down to the large quantity of blood they have. " The female resembles the male, but is without horns. " Somali name ' Debo Tag,' which means ' carries tail high.' " 1 P. Z. S. 1885. p. 932. |