Fossil remains of Bovidae are exceedingly plentiful in the Olduvai deposits. There are two reasons for this. In the first place, Bovidae normally represent a high proportion of the total animal population of most African habitats other than the dense forest. Consequently, it is only to be expected that fossil remains of this group should outnumber those of any other. Secondly, the vast majority of the fossils which we find in the excavations come from livingfloors or camp-sites of prehistoric man and represent the remains of his meals. Man apparently preferred the flesh of the Bovidae to that of many other groups, as he does throughout the world today.

Some of the Bovidae described in this chapter have been named previously; others are described here for the first time. In one or two cases, species have been included which are not represented in the collections to which I have had access in London, or in Nairobi. They were specifically listed as present in the Olduvai fauna by Dr Schwarz on the basis of Professor Reek's material.

The following is a list of the subfamilies, tribes, genera and species, which are dealt with in the pages which follow.

Subfamily: BOVINAE

Tribe: Strepsicerotini

1. Strepsiceros grandis sp.nov.

2. S. maryanus sp.nov.

3. S. stromeri (Schwarz)

4. Tragelaphus cf. scriptus

Tribe: Taurotragini

1. 5. Taurotragus arkelli sp.nov.

Tribe: Bovini

1. 6. Bularchus arok Hopwood

2. 7. Gorgon olduvaiensis sp.nov.

3. 8. G. Semiticus (Reck)

Subfamily: Cephalophinae

Tribe: Cephalophini

1. 9. Philantomba cf. monticola

Subfamily: Hippotraginae

Tribe: Reduncini

1. 10. Kobus sp.indet.

2. 11. Kobus sp.indet.

3. 12. […]