ELAND, Anttilope oreas, a species of antelope, abounding in s. Africa, wherever there are fertile plains and low hills, except in the longest settled and most cultivated parts of Cape Colony, where it has been too much hunted to be any longer of very fre quent occurrence. It is described by Livingstone as " the most magnificent of all ante lopes." It is one of those which are sometimes called bovine antelopes, because they seem to approximate a little iu some of their characters to the ox-tribe, having a broader muzzle, less slender limbs, and greater bulkiness of form than the antelopes in general. The E., however, is a very graceful and beautiful animal; it is as large as a horse, fully 5 ft. in height at the shoulder, and weighs from 7 to 9 cwt. The horns—which in the male are about a foot and a half long, and in the female longer and more slender—are almost straight, inclining backwards and outwards; they are pointed, and their great strength is increased by a spiral wreath. The E. has a large protuberance on the larynx,
in this resembling the elk, from which, probably on -this account, it has derived its name. It is also known as the iinpoof or impoofoo. Its tail very much resembles that of an ox, and terminates in a tuft of long black hair. It is a gregarious animal, and the herds are often large. It is generally very fat, and not difficult of pursuit, its gentleness also increasing the facilities of the hunter. Its flesh is very much esteemed, particularly the muscles of the thighs, which are dried like tongues. It is surpri,sing that no attempt has been made to domesticate, for useful purposes, an animal very easy of domestica tion, and possessing so many valuable qualities.
Livingstone discovered a variety of the E. in regions to the n. of the Cape Colony, having the body marked with narrow white transverse bands. According to the figure given in his travels, it seems even more bovine in form than the common variety.