The Living Animals of the World, Volume I: Mammals

of the World 240 The Living Animals

BONTEBOK AND BLESBOK GROUP.

Nearly allied to the hartebeests are certain other anteloj.es, of which it will be sufficient to mention but two species viz. the BONTEEOK and the BLESBOK. These two antelopes, though doubtless distinct, since their points of difference are constant and unvarying, are nevertheless so much alike, and evidently so closely allied, that I look upon the former as a highly coloured and sjiecialised race of the latter. The blesbok once had a far wider range than the bontebok, and ran in countless herds on the plains of the northern districts of the Cape Colony, the Orange Biver Colony, the Transvaal, Griqualand West, and British Bechuanaland, whilst the latter animal has always been confined to the sandy wastes in the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, the extreme southern point of Africa.

Photo by Percy Askmden I think it, however, not improbable BLESBOK. that ages ago the blesbok ranged right A species formerly very numerous in South Africa, but now -well-nigh exterminated. through Cape Colony to the sea-shore, and that subsequently the gradual desiccation of the south-western portions of the country which is still continuing or several years of continuous drought, caused the withdrawal of the species northwards from the waterless parts of the country. Those, however, which had reached the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, where there is plenty of water, would have remained behind and formed an isolated race, which, being influenced by local conditions, would naturally in course of time have become differentiated from the parent stock. Be this as it may, the bontebok of to-day is nothing but a glorified blesbok, being slightly larger and more richly coloured than the latter animal. Its horns, too, are always black, whilst those of the blesbok are of a greenish hue. When they are in good condition, the coats of both these species of antelope, as well as of the SASSABY, another member of this grouj), show a beautiful satiny sheen, which plays over their purple-brown hides like shadows on sunlit water. The few bonteboks which still survive are now all preserved on large enclosed farms; but their numbers are very small less than 300, it is believed. The farmers of Dutch descent now do their Photo iy /. w. [Highbury. best to preserve rare species on WHITE-TAILED GNU AND CALF. their land. This" Wildebeest' io now believed to be practically exterminated as a wild animal

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Shotu by the Duchess of Bedford]

A COW BRINDLED GNU.

This gnu, which is still found in great numbers in Bast Central Africa, indulges in the same curious antics as the white-tailed species.

THE GNUS.

These remarkable animals were once distributed throughout the greater part of Africa from the Cape to Abyssinia, and their range is even now very extensive, though what was once the most numerous and the most eccentric-looking species of the group has almost ceased to exist. first sight appear to have the head of a buffalo, the The gnus are of large size, and at tail of a horse, and the limbs and hoofs of an antelope. Their heads are very massive, with broad muzzles and widely separated, hairy nostrils; their necks are maned, tails long and beeste." or " wild cattle," tobushy, and both sexes carry horns. They are known as " wilde the Dutch colonists of South Africa.

The WHITE-TAILED GNU, or BLACK WILDEBEEST, as it is more commonly called, was once found in great numbers on the karroos of Northern Cape Colony, and throughout the vast plains of the Orange River and Colony, Transvaal, Griqualand W^est, British Bechuanaland. Its range, in fact, was coequal with that of the blesbok. Even as lately as in 1875 and 1876 I personally saw very considerable herds of these quaint animals in the Orange River Colony and the Western Transvaal. When the present war broke out in 1899, there were only two Photo by MitsE.J. Beck. herds of black wildebeest left alive. These RED-FLANKED DUIKER. animals numbered some 500 head altogether, The duikers are for the n)ost rt diminutive and graceful, with p^ spike-like homs. simple, and were protected by Dutch farmers. There o 1

are probably very few of them left to-day, and it is scarcely possible that this most interesting animal will long escape complete extinction.

Black wildebeests, before they had been much persecuted, were so inquisitive that, in the words of Gordon Gumming, they would " caper and gambol " round a hunter's waggon or any other unusual object, and sometimes approach to within a couple of hundred yards, when, whisking their long white tails, they would gallop off with loud snorts. They were always, however, very keen-sighted, and soon became extremely wary and almost impossible to approach on foot in the open plains they frequented, whilst their powers of endurance and fleetness of foot were such that they could only be overtaken by a well-mounted hunter. In spite of these advantages, however, the value of their skins, and the ever-increasing number of hunters, armed with long-range rifles, practically brought about the extermination of this species of gnu in a few decades. The BRINDLED GNU is a larger animal than the last-named species, standing 4^ feet and upwards at the shoulder. This animal once ranged from the Vaal Kiver northwards, throughout Eastern and Central Africa, to the north of Kilimanjaro, where its range overlaps that of a closely allied form, the WHITE-BEARDED GNU, which is only found in certain districts of Eastern Africa. In general habits these two varieties seem to be identical. In the interior of Southern Africa, both north and south of the Zambesi, I have met with very large numbers of BLUE WILDEBEESTS. They usually run in herds of from ten to twenty individuals, but towards the end of the dry season collect in droves of 200 or 300. They are often found in company with zebras and sassaby antelopes. Their flesh resembles is not ill-flavoured. coarse beef, and, to my thinking,

THE SMALLER BUCKS.

In addition to the great number of antelopes of large size which inhabit the African Continent, there are also very many small species, the life 'history and habits of some of which are as yet but imperfectly known, since they are denizens of dense forests, and feed principally at night. All these small African antelopes are divided into two sub-families. The first comprises the African DUIKERS and the Indian FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE, and the second the DIK-DIKS, ORIBIS, KLIPSPRINGER, and certain other small bush-antelopes. The African duikers are distributed throughout Africa south of the Sahara, and are represented by some twenty different species, the largest of which approaches a small donkey in size, whilst the smallest is not much larger than a hare. The majority of these dainty little antelopes are inhabitants of the dense tangled forests of the coast-belts of Africa, and are therefore but seldom seen by travellers and sportsmen. One species of the group, however, the COMMON DUIKER of South

Photo ly Miss E. J. Beck. Africa, is a very well-known animal. This little KLIPSPRINGER. antelope inhabits much more open country than most of its congeners, and has an enormous range,The " cliff-jumper " is as active in its habits as a chamois, and is found in most of the mountain-ranges of Africa. extending from Cape Agulhas to Somaliland, whilst

Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd,] [Aberdeen.

SING-SING WATERBUCK.

The sing-sing and its relatives differ from the true waterbuck by the absence of the white elliptical ring on the rump.

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of the World244 The Living Animals

two very nearly allied forms are found in Senegal and Abyssinia respectively. In most species of duikers both sexes are horned, but in the case of the common duiker it is very exceptional to find a female with horns, and in all my experience I have only known of three such cases. The FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE is the Indian representative of the African duikers, and is found along the foot of the Himalaya from the Punjab to Nepal, and in suitable localities throughout the peninsula of India. It frequents wooded hills, but avoids dense jungle. Like its nearest allies, the duikers, it

Photo by IF. P. Dando"] [Regent's Park. is solitary in its habits, more than MOUNTAIN EEEDBUCK. two of these antelopes seldom being

One of a group of small antelopes still common in many parts of Africa. seen together. The growth of four horns on the skull of this antelope and on certain breeds of domesticated sheep is a curious fact which has not roused as much comment as it deserves.

THE KLIPSPRINGER.

Turning to the second sub-family, we may select the KLIPSPRINGER as the most characteristic species to describe. This beautiful little animal, which is often called the African Chamois, is found in suitable localities from the Cape to Abyssinia. In the southern and northern portions of its range the klipspringer is an inhabitant only of rugged mountain-ranges, and ascends to a height of 9,000 or 10,000 feet above sea-level. In the more central regions of its habitat, however, although it always lives amongst rocks, and thoroughly justifies its name of "rock-jumper," it is often found in regions where there are no high mountain-ranges. It used to be very common in Matabililand, both in the Matopo Hills and on the isolated granite kopjes which are so numerous in that country, and usually are not more than 200 or 300 feet in height. In Mashonaland I have found it living amongst granite rocks in the beds of the larger rivers, and actually on the same level as the surrounding country; whereas on Wedza, a great mountain-mass of slate and ironstone, which rises to a height of about 2,000 feet above the surrounding country, and to the top of which I once climbed, I did not see any klipspringers. The hoofs of this little animal are curiously different from those of any other African antelope, being remarkably short and small, with very deep Walter Rothschild. of the Hon. by permission Aylesbury, S.O. Payne,holloWS. This adaptation to its Photo ^ ' ' OR PALLA IMPALA MALE enablesrequirements palla form some of the most gracetul or i, The beautifully curved horns of the maleto obtain,.. a trophies. footholdPIII theonklipspringerany small

The Antelopes 245

projecting piece of rock, and to climb in a series of little jumps up the faces of cliffs which seem almost perpendicular.

In height the klipspringer stands about 1 foot 9 inches at the shoulder. The males alone carry horns, which are straight and ringed at the base, and vary from 3 to 5 inches in length. The coat is of a greeny yellow-brown colour, with the hairs hollow and brittle. These little animals are usually met with singly, or in twos and threes together. When caught young, they become wonderfully tame, and make the most charming pets, being very playful and fond of jumping, with surprising ease and grace, from the floor of a room on to any elevated position, such as a table, mantelpiece, or window-sill.