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Show 470 MR. O. THOMAS ON GAZELLES FROM ALGERIA. [June 5, with " La Gazelle " and " Le Kevel" (both undoubtedly referable to 67. dorcas), it had knee-brushes and was of much the same size and colour as they were, conflicts with his plate, in which the artist has depicted it as without knee-brushes, bulkier in general build, and with a far better marked lateral line than in the other two. This being the case, all attempts to determine it with certainty may be abandoned as futile. It is unfortunate that for the present the exact habitat of 67. rufina is unknown, as the skin was merely purchased iu Algiers. From the richness of its colour it is not likely to be the inhabitant of an arid sandy district such as is the home of 67. loderi, but it may come from some of the more brush-covered downs of the Sahara. 4. GAZELLA LODERI, Thos.1 (Plate XXXII.) Size small; form light and delicate ; weight of an adult male (teste Loder) about 34 lb. General colour very pale sandy or buff, the richest colour of the after-back approximately "pinkish buff "of Bidgway, and even this becomes paler and almost white anteriorly on the neck and crown, and posteriorly on the sides of the rump. Face-markings very faint, the central facial band and dark facial streaks only " buff," and contrasting but little -with the ill-defined pale facial streaks. Crown nearly white, as are also the long and well-clothed ears. Light lateral bands scarcely visible, and the indistinct dark ones below them hardly as deep as Bidgway's " clay colour," as is also the case with the dark pygal band. Tail sandy at base, darkening terminally to blackish brown. Front of fore legs pale sandy buff, of hind ones whitish. Knees with short but distinct brushes. Hoofs very peculiar, and evidently specialized for progress over light yielding sand. They are much elongated, very narrow, and produced above into a sharp knife-edge ; the angle at which their plane of wear lies shows that they are habitually widely divergent in life, as might indeed be expected. Skull (fig. 2) of about the size and proportions of that of 67. bennetti, but rather lighter and more delicate. Horns very slender, close together at base, widely divergent above, their tips from 8 to 10 inches apart in well-marked examples. Viewed from the side they are seen to curve slightly but evenly backwards for four-fifths of their length, while their slender tips are slightly recurved upwards, but there is nothing to call a terminal hook ; their annulations are well defined and rather near together, amounting in number to 20 or more, the most out of a large number of horns being 27 in a particularly fine and graceful pair belonging to Sir E. Loder. Measurements of the type, au adult male skin, with perfect skull :- Length of body (approximate) 900 m m . ; ear from notch 130; 1 Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) xiii. p. 452 (1894). |
