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Show 1 9 0 5 . ] ON A WOUNDED ORYX HIDING. 1 8 7 3. A male Leopard of the Persian race (Felis pardus tidliana), received in exchange on Feb. 24th, 4. A semi-albino variety of the Common Fox (Canis vulpes) from Essex, deposited on Feb. 7th. The Secretary read an extract from a letter that had been written to him by Mrs. S. L. Hinde, who had kept a number of animals in captivity at her husband's station in the Kenya district, British East Africa. He remarked that much had been recorded as to the urgent desire for salt shown by herbivorous animals, but that he was unaware of any observations as to the gratification of the instinct in a manner so unusual as that observed by Mrs. Hinde, who was a competent and trustworthy observer. The following is the extract in question :- " You asked me to tell you in detail how my Antelope became a murderer. He was a Duiker (Cephalophus), and became a member of my Zoo when a few days old. He was suckled by a goat, and was one of the few antelopes I have succeeded in rearing ; he was never ill, and always seemed in excellent condition. My Zoo was a fairly large space, surrounded with wire-netting, and contained the Duiker, a Dik-dik, a large family of Dassies (which bred in captivity), and various species of Francolins, Guinea-fowls, and Pigeons. They lived happily together and never seemed to fight, but not unfrequently I found one of the birds literally beheaded. I thought that the Dassies were the culprits, as they used to chase the green pigeons to eat their fruit, so much so that ultimately these pigeons became grain-feeders, doing well on the changed diet. One day, however, when a new partridge, just captured and weak from flight, had been put in the enclosure, I saw the Duiker go up to it, put one hoof on its back, and bite its head off. He was evidently the murderer, but simply because he needed salt. How he knew he could get it from blood is unexplained, but he evidently did. From that time quantities of rock-salt were kept in the enclosure, and there were no more beheaded birds." ______ Mr. Frederick Gillett, F.Z.S., exhibited a photograph of a wounded Oryx (Oryx beisa) hiding under a mimosa-bush (text-fi< r_ 27, p. 188), showing, what might be taken as an example of protective coloration. He, however, expressed the opinion that protective colouring only really took place in insects, birds, and small animals the enemies of which were birds, and that the larger animals which were preyed on by the cat and dog tribes, who hunted by scent, did not require protective coloration. He put down the difficulty of seeing large animals in their native haunts to the fact of their being able to remain absolutely still for Iono- periods, holding the view that any animal in any ordinary surroundings would become practically invisible by remaining motionless. |
