(P. Z. S. 1894, p. 325.)

Mr. Lort Phillips, so far as we know, was the first of the explorers of Somaliland to bring home an example of this Dik-dik. But when that sportsman read his notes on the Somali Antelopes, obtained during his journey of 1884, before the Zoological Society, Sclater did not venture to determine the single immature skull that was obtained, and in his subsequent notes on the same specimen, read in 1885, he referred it with some doubt to M. kirki.

It was not until 1894 that the additional examples of this Dik-dik received by the British Museum from Capt. Swayne enabled Thomas to vindicate its claim to stand as a distinct species.

Capt. Swayne, in his lately published ‘Seventeen Trips to Somaliland,’ gives us the following notes on his experiences with the Gussuli, as the Somalis call this Antelope:—“I came on Gussuli for the first time about a day’s journey south of Seyyid Mahomed’s village in the Malingúr tribe, and found it to exist all over the Rer Amáden country. Its range coincides nearly with that of the rhinoceros, and it is found, like the latter animal, in parts of the Haud, where its ground overlaps with the range of the Gol-Ass. The Gussuli is if anything slightly larger than the Gol-Ass, and of a dead grey colour, with a white belly. The female appears to be much larger than the male; and it is a pretty safe rule, when trying to shoot the buck of a pair, to aim at the smaller one.

“The Gol-Ass and Guyu have short muzzles, while that of the Gussuli is very long, resembling the snout of a tapir. The two former Antelopes are found in pairs, seldom more than three being seen together. They give a shrill alarm whistle, uttered two or three times in quick succession, and are often a nuisance, being apt to disturb more valuable game. The Gussuli start up three or four at a time, and sometimes the undergrowth seems to be alive with them. These small Antelopes are very easily knocked over with a shot-gun and No. 4 shot. They give good sport in the evening, when they are liveliest, especially if followed silently and fired at with a rook-rifle, for they give plenty of chances when they stand to look back. The female exposes herself most, and is consequently most often shot.”

Mr. Robert B. B. Christie, of Birling House, Maidstone, who has quite recently sent a skin of this Dik-dik to the British Museum from the interior of Somaliland, writes of it:—“The locality I obtained this specimen from was, as nearly as possible, lat. 7° 30’ N., long. 43° 20’ E. The country was a high broken rocky table-land, thickly covered with thorn forest with large areas of low thorn scrub-bush; in the latter the ‘Long-nosed Dik-dik’ is principally found; where there are patches of the spear-shaped aloe is also a favourite spot for this small Antelope on the banks of the nullahs and the lower parts of the low rocky hills. South of lat. 7° 30’ and west of long. 43° 20’ I found them numerous, becoming still more so the further I went west up to the Galla country. In August and September I noticed that they were generally in pairs, male and female, in company with others, from six to twelve being the average number to find close together. I saw no very young ones at this time. When alarmed they dart away among the bushes and then turn round and stand motionless with head erect, and make a curious whistling hiss when startled. My servants told me that north of the Tug Jerad I should not find them; and this proved to be the case, as I did not myself see them north of the Tug Fafau. This would make their northern limit about lat. 7° 30’. Although so small, they reminded me, by their quick darts among the thorn-scrub, of the South-African Duiker. I cannot tell the altitude of the district, as we had no instruments for the purpose, but I should say that it was about 3000 feet above the sea. The ordinary Dik-dik (probably M. phillipsi) was found in this district and was very numerous; often you would see some of both kinds close together.”

Graf Hoyos, in his recently published volume of travel and sport, ‘Zu den Aulihan,’ likewise mentions this species as occurring on the Somali plateau.

It is probable also that Günther’s Dik-dik may extend into the interior of British East Africa, as two skulls lately examined by Thomas which were in Mr. F. J. Jackson’s collection apparently belong to this species.

Our coloured figure of this Dik-dik (Plate XXXI. fig. 1) has been prepared by Mr. Smit from the typical specimens in the British Museum.

December, 1895.