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Show 454 MR. P. ,T. JACKSON ON" THE [May 4, 16. GAZELLA THOMSONI. Thomson's Gazelle does not, I believe, extend beyond a few miles north of Lake Nakuru. The average weight of a buck is 52 lbs. The females are horned, wdiatever others may say to the contrary. The horns run up to about 6 inches, but are for the most part malformed and uneven. 17. HIPPOTRAGUS BAKERI, Heuglin. Captain F. S. Dugmore, now in Kikuyu, killed a bull of this species on the Athi plains. He appears to be quite positive that it is a Roan of some sort. In April last, two marches from here, I saw a herd of 7 antelopes much resembling the Roan. They were about 800 yards off, and I had a good look at them with a powerful telescope before commencing a stalk, which, I regret to say, was unsuccessful through one of them, that I did not notice, seeing me. There were four cows, one bull, and two half-grown calves. In colour they were like an Oryx, and not unlike it in shape, though larger and longer on the leg. The back of the neck was arched, like a Sable, and appeared to have a short dark zebra-like mane. The ears were very long and tufted, and the horns of both the bull and cows were thick in proportion to their length, the bull's perhaps 20 inches or more, and curved backwards like a Roan. With the exception of one calf they were all standing under a big tree in the shade, and as they were all broadside on to me I could not make out what the facial markings were like. As the calf stood facing me, its ears stood out almost at right angles to its head, with a slight droop towards the tips. They appeared to me to be not large enough for Roan (I have only seen those in the Natural History Museum), and I believe that they are more likely to be H. bakeri. I feel sure that they are of the same species as that I saw on the northern slopes of Mount Elgon in 1890. 18. ORYX BEISA. This is a new find for me. It ranges as far south as a point due east of this Station, I. e. about on the Equator. Lt. G. E. Smith, R.E., saw a herd of 8 a few days ago. At Baringo I shot 7 in September. There is no doubt wdiatever about their being true 0. belsa. I do not believe the 0. ccdlotis ranges even so far north the Athi plains. Three bulls that I killed weighed (whole with a scale up to 1000 lbs.) 383 lbs., 355 lbs., and 458 lbs., and a cow weighed 380 lbs. 19. STREPSICEROS KUDU. The Kudu is found here on Mau, but is very scarce. 20. STREPSICEROS IMBERBIS, Blyth. The Lesser Kudu, though found on Kilimanjaro, does not, I think, range much farther north, excepting along the coast, and I do not believe that it extends west of Mount Kenia. |