File:Brehm's Life of animals - a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools (1895) (19790644074).jpg

Title: Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools
Identifier: brehmslifeofanim00breh (find matches)
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; PechuLoesche, Eduard, 1840-1913; Haacke, Wilhelm, 1855-1912; Schmidtlein, Richard
Subjects: Mammals; Animal behavior
Publisher: Chicago : Marquis
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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THE HORNED ANIMALS -OX-ANTELOPES. ±95 .and steadily along, extending from an opening in a long range of hills on the west, through which they continued pouring like the flood of some great river, to a ridge about a mile to the east, over which they disappeared. I stood upon the fore-chest of my wagon for nearly two hours, lost in wonder at the novel and beautiful scene. Immense and astonish- ing as was the herd of Springboks which I saw that morning, it was far surpassed by the one I saw the same night; for when we had crossed the range of hills, through the opening of which the Springboks had poured, 1 saw the plain and even the slopes of the hills which extended all around, covered not with herds, but with one continuous mass of Spring- boks. As far as eye could see, the country swarmed queer, perpendicular leaps, bounding into the air with folded legs, the lung, snow white hair upon the back waving in the air and giving the animal a truly fairy-like appearance, which distinguishes this An- telope from all others. They sometimes leap higher than six feet, and clear from thirteen to sixteen feet at a bound, apparently without the slightest exertion. Before leaping, they bend their heads towards the fore-legs, then bound up, using all four feet, rise to the given height, their backs strongly curved and the fold of skin expanded like a fan. For one moment the\- literally seem to soar, then they come down on all four feet at once and again go up in the air. Springboks soon become tame when taken young. Those which I saw were shy and cautious towards
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THE HARTEBEEST. -This species of Antelope, existing because of the larger development of the fore quarters as compared with th shaped horns, which are well illustrated in this picture. (I!n/',i,':s caama.) with them, until they merged into an indistinct con- fusion of living creatures." Le Vaillant also speaks about herds numbering from ten to fifty thousand, pursued by Lions, Leopards and Hyaenas, and E. Kretschmar tells of masses, which he estimated to contain millions. The density of such a moving herd is sometimes simply wonderful. Harris tells us"-that a herd of Sheep, which once happened to mingle with the wandering Springboks, were com- pelled to go along with them; even the powerful Lion, which diligently pursues these Antelopes, is said to be sometimes taken prisoner and compelled to move in their midst. The Springbok's The Springbok is well entitled to Traits and Move- the name which the Dutch settlers ments. bestowed on it—namely, the Jump- ing Buck. When fleeing, it executes a series of strangers, but full of sport when in the presence of friends. If several are kept in the same enclosure, they do not always agree; the bucks especially are quarrelsome fellows that torment or at least mildly tease even their female mates. With the exception of this quarrelsome disposition, captive Springboks are charming animals. Their soft, magnificently colored fur, their elegant form and graceful move- ments fascinate everybody, even in the small space of an enclosure where they can not be justly appre- ciated. Unfortunately few living specimens arrive in foreign countries. THE OX-ANTELOPES. We will let the Gazelles be followed by the Ox- Antelopes (Bubalis), as they, in a certain sense, are transitional forms between the true Antelopes and

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