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THE iiBW ANTELOPE FROM ST, LUCIA BAY.
" T R A G E L A P H U S ANGASII," (GRAV).- " INYALA" OP THE AMAZULU.
"Anil as wo joiirneyM ii|> the ptitliless glen,
Planked by rooianlic liilU ou cither linn.l.
The Ijoselibok oft would bound awnj—aiid tUcti
Besida the iviUows. bnck«ai\l gazing, stoiid.
Or troops of clniiUs, near some sedgy fount,
Or koodoo fawns, tiial from tlio ihiukpt glide,
To seek their ilnui upon the uiialy mount."
PRINO LK.
THIS new and brilUaat autelope apjjeai's to form a link between the boschbok and koodoo, uniting in itsell" tlie
markings and characteristic features of boU).
Specific Cliat'acter. Adult male, about seven feet six inches total length; height at shoulder, three feet four inches.
Although elegant in form, and with much of the grace of the solitude-loviag koodoo, the robu-st and shaggy aspcct
of the male /iiydla bears considerable resemblance to that of the goat. Legs, clean; hoofs, pointed and black, with
two oval cream-coloured spots in front of each fetlock, immediately above the hoof; horns, one foot tea inches long,
twisted, and sublyrate, very similar to those of the boschbok, but more spiral: have sharp, polished extremities, of a
pale straw colour; rest of horns brownish black, deeply ridged from the forehead to about half the leiigtli of the
horn. Prevailing colour, greyish black, tinged with purplish bro«'ti and ochre oa the ueck, flanks, and cheeks, and
marked with several white stripes like the koodoo. Forehead, brilliant sienna brown, almost ajsproachiii" to oran^re *
mane, black down the ueck, and white from the withers to the insertion of the tail; eai-s, eight iuchcs long, oval,
rufous, tipped with black, and fringed inside with white hair.s; a pale ochreous circle round the eyes, which are
connected by two white spoU, forming au arrow-shaped mark on a black ground; nose, black; a white spot ou
each side of upper lip; chin and gullet, white; and three white marks under each eye; neck, covered with long shaggy
hair, extending also under the belly, and fringing the haunches to the knee; two white spots on the flanks, and a patch
of long white hair on the anterior portion of the thigh; a white tuft under the belly, and another ou tlie dewlap; on
the outer side of the forelegs is a black patch above the knee, surrounded by tlu-ee white spots ; legs, below the knee,
b r i g h t rufous colour; tail, one foot eight inches loug, black above, with tip and inside white.
Female. Smaller, and without horns. Total length, six feet. Nose to insertion of ear, ten inches ; length of ear,
six inches and a half; height from fore-foot to shoulder, two feet nine inches; tail, one foot three inches; colour, a
b r i g h t nifous, inclining to orange, and becoming very pale ou the belly and lower parts, and white inside the thighs; a
black dorsal ridge of bristly hair extends from the back of the crown to the tail; nose black, and the white spots on
various i)arts of the body nearly resembling tliose of the male, only the white stripes ou the sides are more numerous
and clearly defined, amounting to twelve or thu-teen in number; tail, rufous above and white below, tipped with black.
Young, similar to female, rather palei' in colour, and more white spots ou flank and sides.
This antelope inhabits the low undulating hills that are scattered with mimosa-bushes, and border upon the northern
shores of St. Lucia Bay. in the Zulu country; latitude, twenty-eight degrees south. It is gregarious, occurring in troops
of eight or ten together, feeding amongst the open thickets.
This addition to the fauna of Southern Africa has beeu named Tragelaphis Angas'd (in honour of my esteemed
father, George Fife Angas. Esii-), by the Zoolo^cal Society of Loudon, whose Transactions I have furnished with a
descriiJtion and figures of the animal. It is worthy of remark, that the herd of Inyah wc were fortunate enough to
meet with near St. Lucia Bay is the only one that has yet been seen by Europeans. It is probably a scarce and very
locally distributed species.