GenusVII. AMMODORCAS.

Size medium, about as in middle-sized Gazelles. Neck slender and rather elongated, but not so much as that ofLithocranius. Tail long, reaching nearly to the hocks. No Gazelline body-markings present, but the head with typically Gazelline streaks and bands. False hoofs small.

Skull long and low, approaching in shape that ofLithocranius, but less modified. Shallow anteorbital fossæ present. Premaxillæ reaching nasals. Premolars 3/3, the anterior in each jaw unusually small.

Horns of medium length, evenly divergent, curved upwards and forwards throughout their length, except just at their bases. Female hornless.

Range of the Genus.Restricted to Somaliland.

One species only.

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES, PL. LXXIII.J Smit del et lithHanhart imp.The Dibatag.AMMODORCAS CLARKEI.Published by R. H Porter

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES, PL. LXXIII.

J Smit del et lith

Hanhart imp.

The Dibatag.

AMMODORCAS CLARKEI.

Published by R. H Porter

Cervicapra clarkei,Thos.Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) vii. p. 304 (1891).Gazelle from Somaliland allied toLithocranius,Scl.P. Z. S. 1891, p. 197.Ammodorcas clarkei,Thos.P. Z. S. 1891, p. 207, pls. xxi. & xxii. (head and skull);Scl.P. Z. S. 1892, p. 101;Ward, Horn Meas. (1) p. 128 (1892), (2) p. 173 (1896);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 240 (1893);Scl.P. Z. S. 1892, pp. 101 & 118;Swayne, P. Z. S. 1895, p. 318 (habits);id.Seventeen Trips to Somaliland, p. 310 (1895);Hoyos, Zu den Aulihan, p. 181 (1895);Elliot, Publ. Chicago Mus., Zool. i. p. 124 (1897).Vernacular Name:—Dibatagof Somalis (Clarke,Swayne,and others).

Cervicapra clarkei,Thos.Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) vii. p. 304 (1891).

Gazelle from Somaliland allied toLithocranius,Scl.P. Z. S. 1891, p. 197.

Ammodorcas clarkei,Thos.P. Z. S. 1891, p. 207, pls. xxi. & xxii. (head and skull);Scl.P. Z. S. 1892, p. 101;Ward, Horn Meas. (1) p. 128 (1892), (2) p. 173 (1896);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 240 (1893);Scl.P. Z. S. 1892, pp. 101 & 118;Swayne, P. Z. S. 1895, p. 318 (habits);id.Seventeen Trips to Somaliland, p. 310 (1895);Hoyos, Zu den Aulihan, p. 181 (1895);Elliot, Publ. Chicago Mus., Zool. i. p. 124 (1897).

Vernacular Name:—Dibatagof Somalis (Clarke,Swayne,and others).

Height at withers about 31 inches. General colour of body dark purplish rufous, no dark or light lateral or pygal bands present. Head with handsome sharply-defined Gazelline markings; the central facial band rich fulvous rufous, no darker spot on muzzle; light facial streaks long, sharply defined, and extending to the sides of the muzzle, pure white; areas round eyes and ears also whitish, though not sharply defined, connected with each other and continuous with the white facial streaks. Dark facial streaks present but not prominent. Back of ears dull whitish. Chin and interramia white. Cheeks below white markings, throat, and whole of neck dark purplish rufous, continuous with the back. Belly pure sharply-defined white, but on the chest this colour is broken by two projections running down from the dark throat-colour on each side of the middle line to between the elbows. Limbs, except their inner sides above, coloured like the back, but gradually passing lower down into fulvous instead of rufous. Knee-brushes present but small.Back of hams white, the white not projecting into the dark body-colour. Tail long, well-haired, but not crested, blackish above and below, except just at its base.

Skull-dimensions in an adult male:—Basal length 7·5 inches, greatest breadth 3·7, muzzle to orbit 4·2.

Horns attaining about 11 or 12 inches in length; their basal halves broadly ringed, their long forwardly-directed terminal halves smooth and evidently corresponding to the short smooth recurved tips of ordinary Gazelline horns.

Female.Similar to the male, but without horns.

Hab.Eastern parts of Central Somaliland, restricted to the Dolbahanta and Marehán countries S.E. of Berbera.

We now conclude the long series of Gazelles with three abnormal forms, each constituting a genus of itself, which, curiously enough, are all restricted to N.E. Africa. As regards the first two of them there can be no question, we believe, of their close alliance to the Gazelles,Ammodorcasbeing, in several respects, intermediate betweenGazelllaandLithocranius, and leading on to that most specialized form of the group. About the correct position of the Beira, however, there is considerable doubt, and it is quite possible that a more natural place for it in the Antelopine series may be hereafter discovered.

The Dibatag, or Clarke’s Gazelle, was first met with by the sportsman and naturalist whose name it bears in 1890, during his exploring trip into the Dolbahanta and Marehán country south-east of Berbera. Writing to Thomas about his discovery, Mr. T. W. H. Clarke (of Secheron, Battery Point, Hobart, Tasmania) says (see P. Z. S. 1891, p. 209):—

“I saw this Gazelle for the first time on December 17th, 1890, about three hours from ‘Bairwell,’ or about one day from ‘Buroa Well, Habergerhagi’s country,’ and afterwards on the road all the way into the Marehan district, 8° N., 47° E. I killed a male, and found one of the horns broken off close to the skull, which had apparently been done a year or so ago.“They are very graceful animals, with a long neck and well-proportioned head and horns; the body is rather slender, but considerably larger than inGazella spekei, about the size of a femaleG. walleri. The legs are long and slender; the hoofs are not so triangular as those ofG. spekei, and small for the size of the animal. They have small earsand a long upper lip, just like those ofG. wallerior a Giraffe. The horns are of the shape of a sickle, and less than 12 inches in length, the longest, out of the eleven males killed, measuring 11 inches. The tail, from what I remember, is about 12 or 13 inches in length, very thin, and thinly covered with black hair about 1 inch long.“The colour of the body in this Antelope is like that of the neck, of a kind of pink-fawn, but the belly is whitish and the tail black. The face resembles that ofG. walleri, onlyG. wallerihas no white in front of the eye.“When running, or rather jumping, these Gazelles look very peculiar; their long neck and head being thrown back and the tail thrown forward, so that there appears to be only a foot between head and tail. The country they are mostly found in is of low thorn-bush and sandy; they do not seem to like the big bushes, though at times they are found there. In this respect they differ fromG. walleri, this species liking many bushes to go and rest in.“The new Gazelle is to be found one day’s journey from Buroa Wells, at an elevation of 3100 feet, to the Marehan country (800 feet) (general course about S. by E.), and is there more numerous than any other kind of game, exceptingG. soemmerringi; but the latter is found only in the open country.“Several times I observed the new Gazelle and G. walleri feeding together, but I never saw more than eight in a bunch, and on that occasion there was a maleG. soemmerringiwith them.”

“They are very graceful animals, with a long neck and well-proportioned head and horns; the body is rather slender, but considerably larger than inGazella spekei, about the size of a femaleG. walleri. The legs are long and slender; the hoofs are not so triangular as those ofG. spekei, and small for the size of the animal. They have small earsand a long upper lip, just like those ofG. wallerior a Giraffe. The horns are of the shape of a sickle, and less than 12 inches in length, the longest, out of the eleven males killed, measuring 11 inches. The tail, from what I remember, is about 12 or 13 inches in length, very thin, and thinly covered with black hair about 1 inch long.

“The colour of the body in this Antelope is like that of the neck, of a kind of pink-fawn, but the belly is whitish and the tail black. The face resembles that ofG. walleri, onlyG. wallerihas no white in front of the eye.

“When running, or rather jumping, these Gazelles look very peculiar; their long neck and head being thrown back and the tail thrown forward, so that there appears to be only a foot between head and tail. The country they are mostly found in is of low thorn-bush and sandy; they do not seem to like the big bushes, though at times they are found there. In this respect they differ fromG. walleri, this species liking many bushes to go and rest in.

“The new Gazelle is to be found one day’s journey from Buroa Wells, at an elevation of 3100 feet, to the Marehan country (800 feet) (general course about S. by E.), and is there more numerous than any other kind of game, exceptingG. soemmerringi; but the latter is found only in the open country.

“Several times I observed the new Gazelle and G. walleri feeding together, but I never saw more than eight in a bunch, and on that occasion there was a maleG. soemmerringiwith them.”

Mr. Clarke’s skulls of this Antelope, which were at the time without head-skins, having been submitted to Thomas for examination by Messrs. Rowland Ward and Co. (to whom Mr. Clarke had sent for preservation his specimens of Antelopes obtained during this expedition), were, on account of the shape of the horns, not unnaturally supposed to belong to a new species of Reedbuck, and named “Cervicapra clarkei”—a mistake which Thomas corrected in his later paper. Very shortly after Mr. Clarke’s specimens had been sent to Europe Capt. Swayne purchased of an Arab in the market at Berbera two pairs of horns of this Antelope with the head-skins attached, and, seeing that they belonged to a new species, sent them to Sclater. Sclater exhibited these specimens at a meeting of the Zoological Society on March 17th, 1891, and pointed out their Gazelline affinities, but finding that they belonged to the same species as that just named by Thomas handed them over to the latter for further examination.

In his paper upon this subject, which was read at the same meeting of the Zoological Society, Thomas took the opportunity of describing the whole series of Mr. Clarke’s Antelopes, which were eight in number. For Clarke’s Gazelle, of which, with the aid of the head-skins and the cleaned skulls, he had no difficulty in recognizing the true affinities, he established the newgeneric term “Ammodorcas,” and added a full description of this remarkable form, illustrated by two plates, one of which, by the kind permission of the Zoological Society, we are enabled to copy in the present work.

Fig. 83.Head of the Dibatag, ♂.(From P. Z. S. 1891, pl. xxi.)

Fig. 83.

Head of the Dibatag, ♂.

(From P. Z. S. 1891, pl. xxi.)

As already pointed out, it is evident that in its skull-charactersAmmodorcasis intermediate betweenGazellaandLithocranius, while in the shape of its horns it is absolutely different from all other Gazelline genera.

Capt. Swayne, who has had the unequalled experience of seventeen visits to Somaliland, writing in 1894, says:—

“I have been singularly unfortunate with this Antelope, never having been in the country where it is found till I went to the Nogal Valley some three years ago. At that time the Jilal, or dry season, was at its height, and all the game was scarce and shy, so I never got aDibatagtill June 1893, when on my return journey from Ogádén, across the waterless plateau, I made a détour of several days to the east on purpose to shoot one for my collection.“I searched forDibatagat Tur, a jungle due south of the Toyo grass plains, the distance being some eighty miles from Berbera, and was lucky in getting one good buck and picking up two pairs of horns. Although I saw a good many, all were wild and shy. This is their extreme western limit, and they never by any chance, I believe, come so far south as the Gólis Range. Farther east, towards Buró, they are more plentiful and less shy.“Dibatagare very difficult to see, their purplish-grey colour matching with the high durr grass in the glades where they are found. The glossy coat, shining, reflects the surrounding colours, making it sometimes almost invisible; and at the best of times its slender body is hard to make out. I have often mistaken female Waller’s Gazelles forDibatag, and once shot one of the former in mistake for the latter. The habits and gait are much the same, save that theDibatagtrots off with head held up, and the long tail held erect over the back nearly meeting the head, while Waller’s Gazelle trots away with its head down and its short tail screwed round. Like Waller’s Gazelle theDibataggoes singly or in pairs, or small families up to half a dozen.“As in the case of Waller’s Gazelle, theDibatagis enabled by its long neck and rather long upper lip to reach down branches of the mimósa bushes from a considerable height. The shape of head and way of feeding of both Antelopes are Giraffe-like, and I have seen both standing on the hind legs, fore-feet planted against the trunk of a tree, when feeding. I have seenDibatagfeeding both on thorn bushes and on the durr grass. Both Waller’s and Clarke’s Antelopes can live far from water. The country most suitable forDibatagis jungle of the khansa or umbrella mimósa, alternating with glades of durr grass which grows about six feet high. The females are hornless. TheDibatagis a very graceful Antelope, standing higher than an Indian Blackbuck, but weighing probably a good deal less.”

“I searched forDibatagat Tur, a jungle due south of the Toyo grass plains, the distance being some eighty miles from Berbera, and was lucky in getting one good buck and picking up two pairs of horns. Although I saw a good many, all were wild and shy. This is their extreme western limit, and they never by any chance, I believe, come so far south as the Gólis Range. Farther east, towards Buró, they are more plentiful and less shy.

“Dibatagare very difficult to see, their purplish-grey colour matching with the high durr grass in the glades where they are found. The glossy coat, shining, reflects the surrounding colours, making it sometimes almost invisible; and at the best of times its slender body is hard to make out. I have often mistaken female Waller’s Gazelles forDibatag, and once shot one of the former in mistake for the latter. The habits and gait are much the same, save that theDibatagtrots off with head held up, and the long tail held erect over the back nearly meeting the head, while Waller’s Gazelle trots away with its head down and its short tail screwed round. Like Waller’s Gazelle theDibataggoes singly or in pairs, or small families up to half a dozen.

“As in the case of Waller’s Gazelle, theDibatagis enabled by its long neck and rather long upper lip to reach down branches of the mimósa bushes from a considerable height. The shape of head and way of feeding of both Antelopes are Giraffe-like, and I have seen both standing on the hind legs, fore-feet planted against the trunk of a tree, when feeding. I have seenDibatagfeeding both on thorn bushes and on the durr grass. Both Waller’s and Clarke’s Antelopes can live far from water. The country most suitable forDibatagis jungle of the khansa or umbrella mimósa, alternating with glades of durr grass which grows about six feet high. The females are hornless. TheDibatagis a very graceful Antelope, standing higher than an Indian Blackbuck, but weighing probably a good deal less.”

Another well-known explorer of Somaliland, Mr. G. Percy V. Aylmer, kindly sends us the following field-notes on this species:—

“Ammodorcas clarkei, the Debbertag of the Somali, one of the most beautiful and interesting of the rare Antelopes of that country, is, I believe, exceedingly local. From the reports of Messrs. Gillett, Pease, and other travellers, and my own experience, I should roughly describe the range of these Antelopes as contained within North latitude 8° to 9° 30´, and East longitude 44°, to an unknown distance towards the east. Morning andevening (within the above limits) they may be found feeding in the open grass-covered plains which are dotted with small scrubby bushes, patches of tall durr-grass, and immensely tall white-ant hills. During the heat of the day they retire to the shade of some solitary tree, where the dark mouse-colour of their backs makes them particularly hard to pick out. Here they stand motionless throughout the hot hours, apparently drowsy, but in reality alert, and watching the landscape with the keenest eyes for signs of danger from man, or the deadliest of all their enemies—the leopard. In the opinion of the Midgan (the Somāli hunting tribe) these are the wariest of Antelope, and I have always had great difficulty in getting within shot, partly because of the open nature of their feeding-ground, but principally on account of their watchfulness and keenness of vision at unusually great distances. On one occasion, being lucky enough to get within 100 yards of two, and finding them to be a female and calf, I contented myself with watching; and for upwards of half an hour, whilst they fed, not two consecutive mouthfuls were taken without the head being sharply raised and a suspicious glance taken all round. In preference they feed upon the small bushes, their long necks enabling them to reach up to the young shoots, like Waller’s Gazelle, although they appear to choose a less thorny variety. I have met with them occasionally singly, generally in twos or threes, and once only as many as five together. When disturbed they stand rigid, head upraised, ears erect, tail stiffening, and the instant they begin to run the tail (which is unusually long) stands up perpendicularly, presenting, as they gallop away with their springy bounding action, rather the appearance of a yawl’s mizzen-mast in a sea-way. Thus they make a particularly difficult mark for the disgusted stalker, who, exhausted by a long and arduous crawl through the scanty cover, probably gets nothing but the flukiest of snap-shots at the coveted specimen.”

Through the kind intervention of Mr. Pease we have also received some interesting particulars as to a wider range of the “Dibatag” from Lieut. R. Ward Jackson, of the 11th Hussars, who, accompanied by Capt. M. S. Wellby, has recently penetrated far into the eastern interior of the Somaliland peninsula. Mr. Jackson writes as follows:—

“In my journey I first sawDibatagbetween Bair and Kirrit. They appear to be scattered all over the country between Bair and Hodayu, and I found them most plentiful about 25 miles from Kirrit. There Wellby shot three and wounded a fourth in one day, but, as a rule, I saw two or three each day in a march of about 20 miles.“Travelling eastward from Hodayu they gradually appeared to grow less plentiful, and the last record I have of having seen one was about 150 miles from Hodayu. After this I saw no more until between Dagha Dalola and Mudug, about 130 miles from the former, in the Mijourten country. Here I was surprised to find them again very plentiful for three days, and I saw a few on the following three days, after which they again ceased. A week afterwards I found them again plentiful in the Marehan country, gradually diminishing in numbers as we travelled south; the last I saw was about 40 miles before we struck the Webbe Shebeyli. On the homeward journey I cameacross an odd pair now and then in the south of the Ogaden country. I have marked very roughly (see map, fig. 84) the belts within which I found them most plentiful. I do not remember having seen more than eight together. In the Mijourten and Marehan country I have found them quite close to Barao, and most plentiful in country where there was very good grazing of ‘gillop,’ ‘jalaalo,’ and a fine feathery grass. The country between Bair and Hodayu resembled the Haud. As regards the description of theDibatag, I can add nothing to that contained in Swayne’s ‘Seventeen Trips in Somaliland.’”

“Travelling eastward from Hodayu they gradually appeared to grow less plentiful, and the last record I have of having seen one was about 150 miles from Hodayu. After this I saw no more until between Dagha Dalola and Mudug, about 130 miles from the former, in the Mijourten country. Here I was surprised to find them again very plentiful for three days, and I saw a few on the following three days, after which they again ceased. A week afterwards I found them again plentiful in the Marehan country, gradually diminishing in numbers as we travelled south; the last I saw was about 40 miles before we struck the Webbe Shebeyli. On the homeward journey I cameacross an odd pair now and then in the south of the Ogaden country. I have marked very roughly (see map, fig. 84) the belts within which I found them most plentiful. I do not remember having seen more than eight together. In the Mijourten and Marehan country I have found them quite close to Barao, and most plentiful in country where there was very good grazing of ‘gillop,’ ‘jalaalo,’ and a fine feathery grass. The country between Bair and Hodayu resembled the Haud. As regards the description of theDibatag, I can add nothing to that contained in Swayne’s ‘Seventeen Trips in Somaliland.’”

Fig. 84.Map of Somaliland (showing the localities of the Dibatag).

Fig. 84.

Map of Somaliland (showing the localities of the Dibatag).

The specimens ofAmmodorcas clarkeiin the British Museum consist of a head-skin with its skull from Burao Wells, presented by Mr. T. W. H. Clarke (the type of the species), and a stuffed male, the skins of a male and two females and their skulls from the same district, obtained in his second expedition, and presented by the same donor. There are also a skin and skeleton of a female from Darror Wells, on the Haud, presented by Mr. Ford G. Barclay, and the skull of a male from near the Bur Dap Mountain, Central Somaliland, presented by Col. A. Paget.

Our illustration of the male of this Gazelle, with the female in the distance (Plate LXXIII.), has been drawn and put on the stone from the specimens in the British Museum.

[Since this was written we have received from Dr. Matschie, through Herr Oscar Neumann, the interesting information that the Dibatag occurs in the Kilimanjaro district of German East Africa, a considerable extension of its previously known range.]

September,1898.

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