| OCR Text |
Show 476 ON THE GESTATION OF THE INDIAN ANTELOPE. [June 5, desert. It climbs like a Chamois to the tops of the highest mountains in the rockiest ground, and is often found in the juniper-forests on the mountain-slopes. These are also the haunts of the Mouflon, the two animals being constantly seen on the same ground. Gazella dorcas is found all over the hard stony desert and also on the foot-hills, so that it sometimes overlaps the range of the Admi. I have seen a few in the sand-hills, the true country of the Beem ; but I believe that still farther south it is not found, its place being taken entirely by the Beem. I quite believe the statement of the native? that the Beem is never found off the soft sand. 4. Note on the Period of Gestation of the Indian Antelope, Antilope cervicapra (Linn.). By Sir E D M U N D G I L ES L O D E R , Bart., F.Z.S. [Eeceived June 1, 1894.] Well known as is the Indian Antelope, the period of its gestation does not seem to have yet been ascertained. Blanford, in his ' Fauna of British India,' 1888-91, quotes Elliot, "The rutting-season commences about February or March, but fawns are seen of all ages at every season ;" and adds a note of his own, " I cannot find the period of gestation recorded." Jerdon, in his ' Mammals of India,' 1874, gives the same quotation from Elliot. Sterndale, ' Natural History of the Mammalia of India,' 1884, copies this quotation but not quite correctly:-"The or^in^r-season begins in the spring, but fawns of all ages may be seen at any time of the year." Having kept a herd of these Antelopes for several years, practically in a wild state, in a park of considerable extent, I should like to take this opportunity of putting ou record my own observations. I find that the does of this species breed regularly here twice every year. One particular doe, which is tamer than the others, and therefore perfectly well known, had a young one on April 10, 1892, and another young one on November 10 of the same year. It is usually very difficult, if not impossible, to tell the exact date of the birth of a fawn, as the does hide their young ones very closely in the heather and bracken for a fortnight or three weeks, visiting them only during the night. W h e n the young ones are first seen with the herd they are probably three weeks to a month old. Another doe had a young one on M a y 7, 1893, and a second on October 14, 1893. The period of gestation must therefore be about 5 months. |
