The last species of the group, and also of the genus Gazella, is the Mhorr, the Moroccan representative of the Dama Gazelle, to which, as we have already stated, it is very closely allied. Indeed, we have not inconsiderable doubts as to their real specific distinctness. Southern Morocco and Senegal approach so nearly together that it is not likely prima facie that the Gazelles of their deserts would be specifically different.
The well-known zoologist, Mr. E. T. Bennett, who was Secretary to the Zoological Society of London in its early days, was the first describer of the “M’horr” as distinct from Gazella dama, and brought his account of it before a Meeting of that Society on January 8th, 1833. His full memoir on this subject was afterwards published in the Society’s ‘Transactions,’ where it occupies the first pages of the first volume of that standard work.
Bennett’s observations were made on two specimens of this Gazelle which were presented, while living, to the Zoological Society by Mr. E. W. A. Drummond-Hay, C.M.Z.S., then British Consul-General at Tangier, for whom they had been procured by Mr. E. W. Willshire, C.M.Z.S., British Vice-Consul at Mogador. Bennett also had before him a third specimen in the shape of an imperfect skin of this Antelope, also presented to the Society by Mr. Drummond-Hay. All these specimens are stated to have been brought “from the territories of the Sheik of Wednoon, twelve days’ journey inland from the latter place”; but, in spite of the expression “inland,” we suppose “Ouednoon,” as it should be more correctly written, to be the valley of the River Noon in the extreme southern coast district of Morocco, opposite the Canary Islands.
In the article in question, which is accompanied by an excellent coloured figure of the “M’hoor,” Bennett informs us that this Antelope “is regarded in the kingdom of Morocco as an exceedingly rare animal,” and continues as follows:—
“Mr. Willshire states that the one earliest obtained by him was the first individual of the race which had been seen in Mogador. It is highly esteemed, according to Mr. Drummond-Hay, on account of its producing the bezoars, so precious in Oriental medicine, which are known in Morocco as the Baid-al-Mhorr, or eggs of the M’horr. Mr. Hay conjectures that Baid-Mhorr may possibly be the source whence, rather than from the Persian Pazahar, the name of Bezoar has sprung. It is pretended that two of these calculous concretions are met with in the intestines of every individual of the race, but none were found in that which died in the Society’s collection, and which, as is stated by Mr. Spooner and Mr. Langstaff, who examined it after death, agreed in its visceral anatomy with the Antelopes in general.”
About the same time as the Zoological Society’s specimens arrived in England it would appear that living examples of the same Antelope reached the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. One of these, an immature female, was figured by Geoffrey St.-Hilaire and F. Cuvier on the 375th plate of their ‘Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères.’ In the letterpress accompanying this plate we are informed that two young living examples (male and female) had been received there, and that the female had lived in good health for two years without changing her colour, only varying in the size of her body and in the shape of her horns. The authors inform us that when the “Nanguers” arrived at Paris they had only very short horns, about 4 or 5 inches in length, which were at that period strongly and uniformly curved towards the front. The male having died when young did not change the character of his horns, but those of the female having had time to develop became recurved behind and divergent one from the other. These Gazelles had neither tear-bags nor knee-brushes. When the figure was drawn the female stood about 2 feet 10 inches in height, but seemed to be not fully grown.
The authors of the ‘Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères’ refer these specimens to the “Nanguer” of Buffon, and do not say from what country they were received, but from their figure and description there can be no doubt that they belonged to the Gazella mhorr of Morocco and not to the true G. dama of Senegal, if these two species are held to be distinct.
The only example of Gazella mhorr in the British Museum is the mounted adult male from Morocco presented to the Zoological Society by Mr. Willshire in 1833, and formerly in that Society’s collection. It is no doubt the specimen from which Bennett’s figure in the ‘Transactions’ was taken, and is also, we believe, the original of our illustration (Plate LXXII.), which was put upon the stone by Mr. Smit under the direction of the late Sir Victor Brooke. Further information concerning this and other animals of Southern Morocco is much required, but until the present political conditions of that country are altered we are hardly likely to obtain it.
September, 1898.