14. THE BLESSBOK.
DAMALISCUS ALBIFRONS (Burch.).
[PLATE IX.]
Antilope albifrons, Burch. Travels, ii. p. 335 (1824); Wagn. Schr. Säug. Supp. iv. p. 413 (1844), v. p. 448 (1855).
Gazella albifrons, Harris, Wild Anim. S. Afr. (fol.) pl. xxi. (animal) (1840).
Damalis albifrons, Gray, Ann. Mag. N. H. (1) xviii. p. 233 (1846); id. P.Z. S. 1850, p. 141; id. Knowsl. Men. p. 22, pl. xxii. fig. 1 (animal) (1850); id. Cat. Ung. B. M. p. 129 (1852); id. Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 45 (1872); id. Hand-l. Rum. B. M. p. 116 (1873); Layard, Cat. S. Afr. Mus. p. 77 (1861); Fitz. SB. Wien, lix. pt. 1, p. 181 (1869); Drummond, Large Game S. Afr. p. 425 (1875); Nicolls & Egl. Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 31, pl. iii. fig. 9 (head) (1892); Jent. Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, xi.) p. 171 (1892).
Bubalis albifrons, Sund. Pecora, K. Vet.-Ak. Hand-l. 1844, p. 210 (1846); id. ibid. Hornschuch’s Transl., Arch. Skand. Beitr. ii. p. 159; Reprint, p. 84 (1848); Temm. Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 195 (1853); Brehm, Thierl. iii. p. 217 (1880); Ward, Horn Meas. p. 68 (1892); Lyd. Horns and Hoofs, p. 202 (1893).
Alcelaphus albifrons, Buckley, P. Z. S. 1876, pp. 286, 292 (distribution); Scl. List Anim. Z. S. (8) p. 149 (1883); Bryden, Kloof and Karroo, p. 295 (1889); Flow. & Lyd. Mamm. p. 335 (1891).
Vernacular Names:—Blessbok of Dutch and English colonists; Nunni of Bechuana natives (Harris); Inoni of Kaffirs (Drummond); Inoni or Inpemfu of Zulus (Rendall).
Similar to D. pygargus in nearly every respect; but the rufous ground-colour is much more widely extended, owing to the parts which are black in that animal being here scarcely darker than the rest. White blaze on face divided into two parts by a narrow line between the eyes. Posterior half of rump not prominently white, a small area only round the base of the tail slightly paler than the rest.
Skull and horns as in D. pygargus, except that the latter are of a more or less whitish colour.
Skull-measurements of a male:—basal length 11·5 inches, greatest breadth 5·1, muzzle to orbit 8·3.