ARMY MASCOTS

PICTURE AND TEXT from page 340 of "Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History" (1902)

The young Beisa Oryx was caught by a British officer a few months ago. At first it was very wild and nervous, but the kindly cow in the photograph (a loan to the same officer by a friendly Somali sheikh) took pity on it and brought it up with her own calf, which may also be seen in the photograph looking out under its mother's nose. The little oryx has gone many marches, packed comfortably on a camel's back, and it originally had as a companion another baby antelope, a Soemmerring's gazelle below packed on a camel's back but it has since died.