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Show 46 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON THE LESSER KOODOO. [Feb. 5, to the Lesser Koodoo of Blyth, of the existence of which in Somali-land (whence the specimens in question had been obtained) I had heard from Sir John Kirk and other authorities, although I had never seen a living example of the species, and was not quite certain of its validity. The male of this pair of Antelopes having died shortly afterwards, its body was kindly sent to m e entire by M. Comely; and I have now the pleasure of exhibiting to the meeting a mounted specimen of this rare and beautiful Antelope (see Plate IV.), concerning which I propose to offer a few remarks. The Lesser Koodoo was first discriminated as a species by Blyth in a paper read before this Society in January 1869 l. Blyth pointed out that the Lesser Koodoo differed from the larger and better known form (Strepsiceros kudu) in its smaller size, in the absence of the fringe of long hair down the neck in front, and in the much more compressed spiral of the curvature of the horns. From the second of these characteristics, he proposed to call the species Strepsiceros imberbis. Besides the specimen of the young male Lesser Koodoo, already-referred to, I have borrowed for exhibition to-night a fine head and pair of horns of an adult male of the same animal, and a pair of horns of a rather younger individual; the former kindly lent to m e by M r . E. Gerrard, jun., by whom they were received from Sir John Kirk, and the latter belonging to M . Comely, who obtained them along with his pair of living animals 2. It will be observed that these specimens, so far as they go, fully support Blytb's views as to the specific distinctness of the Lesser Koodoo. Looking to the front view of the two skulls with the horns attached now before us, the great difference in size and in the shape and form of the expanse of the spiral is at once manifest. The following are the comparative measurements of these two specimens in inches and tenths:- Str. kudu. Str. imberbis. inches'. inches. Length of horns from base to tip in a straight line 35*0 18*5 Distance between tips of ditto 37*0 9*0 Length of skull from occipital condyle to end of upper jaw 15*0 12*5 Breadth of ditto across forehead .... 6*5 4*75 It will also be observed that, as has been well pointed out by Mr. Blyth, the spiral formed by the horns in S. imberbis has a much smaller axis. In S. kudu the spiral is very open, almost as in some specimens of the Markhore Goat (Capra megaceros). I will now make a few remarks on some of the synonyms that have been assigned to this species. 1 " Notice of two overlooked Species of Antelope," P. Z. S..1869, p. 51. 2 This pair of living animals and the horns were originally imported by Mr. C. Hagenbeck of Hamburg, along with other animals from Somali-land. |
