Gazelle

[Fr., from Ar. gazal, a wild goat] (Zool.) The Antelope dorcas, one of the most beautiful and graceful of the antelopes, chiefly inhabiting Arabia and Syria. It is about three feet six inches in length, and in height measures le than two feet at the shoulder. The horns of the adult male rise nearly perpendicularly above the orbits, are black, almost cylindrical, bending at first gently backwards, and finally forwards. The ears are long, narrow, and pointed; eyes large. mild, and black. The size of the gazelle about equals that of the roebuck; but the legs of the former are considerably longer, and the entire form more graceful. The face and cheeks are reddish-fawn color, with a dark stripe down the nose; on each side of the face, pa ing over the eyes, from the horns down to the nose, there is a broad white stripe, and beneath this, from the anterior canthus of the eye, a narrower dark stripe parallel to it. and separating it from the fawn-color of the cheek. The remainder of the body is dark-fawn above and white beneath, the latter color being separated by a broad, brown band along the flanks. The knees are furnished with brushes of dark hair, and the ears are filled internally with long white hair. It lives in large troops, and when pursued by the hunter, flees at great speed for some distance, then stands still to gaze on him, then bounds off again. When brought to bay, these animals defend themselves with courage and obstinacy, meeting The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia in a close circle, with the females and fawns in the centre, and presenting their horns at all points to their enemies. Wild and timid as the G. is, when taken young it is readily domesticated; and it is frequently seen at large in the court-yards of houses in Syria, their exquisite form, general bearing, and playfulne rendering them special favorites.