Published by R. H. Porter.

103. SOEMMERRING’S GAZELLE.
GAZELLA SOEMMERRINGI (Cretzschm.).
[PLATE LXX.]

Antilope soemmerringii, Cretzschmar, Atl. Rüpp. Reise, p. 49, pl. xix. (♂) (1826); J. B. Fisch. Syn. Mamm. p. 462 (1829); Rüpp. N. Wirb. Abyss. p. 25 (1835); Less. Compl. Buff. x. p. 287 (1836); Waterh. Cat. Mamm. Mus. Z. S. (2) p. 40 (1838); Laurill. Dict. Univ. d’H. N. i. p. 616 (1839); Gerv. Dict. Sci. Nat. Suppl. i. p. 261 (1840); Less. N. Tabl. R. A. Mamm. p. 176 (1842); Rüpp. Verz. Senck. Mus. p. 38 (1842); Sund. K. Vet.-Ak. Handl. 1842, p. 201 (1843); Wagn. Schr. Säug. Suppl. iv. p. 415 (1844), v. p. 405 (1855); Reichenb. Säug. iii. p. 114, pl. xxxiv. fig. 205 (1845); Schinz, Syn. Mamm. ii. p. 403 (1845); Sund. Pecora, K. Vet.-Ak. Handl. 1845, p. 266 (1847); id. Hornschuch’s Transl., Arch. Skand. Beitr. ii. p. 262; id. Reprint, p. 82 (1848); Schinz, Mon. Antil. p. 7, pl. v. (1848); Gieb. Säug. p. 308 (1853); Heugl. Faun. roth. Meer, Peterm. Mitth. 1861, p. 16; id. Ant. u. Buff. N.O.-Afr. (N. Act. Leop. xxx. pt. 2) p. 7 (1863); id. N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 102 (1877); Hartm. Z. Ges. Erdk. Berl. iii. p. 254 (1868).

Gazella soemmerringii, Jard. Nat. Libr. (1) vii. p. 215, pl. xxviii. (1842); Gray, List Mamm. B. M. p. 161 (1843); id. Ann. Mag. N. H. (1) xviii. p. 231 (1846); id. Knowsl. Men. p. 5 (1850); id. P. Z. S. 1850, p. 114; id. Cat. Ung. B. M. p. 59 (1852); Temm. Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 193 (1853); Scl. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 817, pl. xxxvii. (yg.); Fitz. SB. Wien, lix. pt. 1, p. 158 (1869); Blanf. Zool. Abyss. p. 260 (1870); Scl. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 701 (Suez?); Gray, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 39 (1872); id. Hand-l. Rum. B. M. p. 107 (1873); Brooke, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 549; Scl. List An. Z. S. (8) p. 142 (1883); Lort Phillips, P. Z. S. 1885, p. 932; Jent. Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 137 (1887); id. Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (op. cit. xi.) p. 169 (1892); Thos. P. Z. S. 1891, p. 210; W. Scl. Cat. Mamm. Calc. Mus. ii. p. 161 (1891); Scl. P. Z. S. 1892, p. 100; Swayne, P. Z. S. 1892, p. 305; Jent. Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, xi.) p. 169 (1892); Ward, Horn Meas. (1) p. 108, (2) p. 150 (1896); Lyd. Horns and Hoofs, p. 236 (fig., head) (1893); Swayne, P. Z. S. 1895, p. 305 (habits); id. Seventeen Trips to Somaliland, p. 314 (1895); Donaldson Smith, P. Z. S. 1895, p. 868 (Juba R.); Hoyos, Zu den Aulihan, p. 179, pl. x. fig. 6 (1895); Thos. Ann. Mus. Genov. (2) xvii. p. 107 (1896); Elliot, Publ. Chicago Mus., Zool. i. p. 122 (1897).

Antilope soemmerringii berberana, Matsch. SB. nat. Freund. 1893, p. 65; Rhoads, P. Ac. Philad. 1896, p. 519.

Vernacular Names:—Arab or Harab at Massowa, Bus-Adu in Danakil, Om-Sabah in Arabic (Heuglin); Aoul of Somalis (Swayne).

Size large, height at withers 35½ inches in an old male of the Somali subspecies. General colour very pale fawn, and very uniform everywhere, as there are neither light nor dark lateral bands nor any pygal bands. Central facial band black or blackish fulvous, contrasting markedly with the white lateral facial streaks. Dark facial streaks also black, but very narrow. Sides of muzzle black, continuous with the central facial band. Back of ears whitish, margined and tipped with black. White of rump very broad and extended, projecting far into the body-colour, which it broadly shuts off from the tail. The latter is white basally, black tufted terminally. Knee-brushes present, whitish or fawn.

Basal length of skull 8·85 inches, greatest breadth 4·2, muzzle to orbit 5·4.

Horns long, nearly circular in section, heavily ringed. In the typical subspecies they are but little divergent for their basal half, but then curve widely outwards above, their tips being again abruptly hooked inwards so as to point almost directly towards each other. In the Somali subspecies their length is greater and their divergence is quite even, not increasing above, so that their upper portions are not nearly so widely separated; their tips also hook rather forwards, and not so directly inwards.

Female similar to the male, but the horns much thinner and less rough, though almost as long as those of the male. In both of the subspecies their curvature is closely similar to that found in their respective males.