ROAN ANTELOPE.Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.ROAN ANTELOPE.In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry horns.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.ROAN ANTELOPE.In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry horns.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.
ROAN ANTELOPE.
In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this species carry horns.
MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE.Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE.This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind.
Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE.This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind.
Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.
MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE.
This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind.
The nearest allies of the sable and roan antelopes are the various species of the genus Oryx. In this group are included theWhite Oryx, which inhabits the desert regions of the interior of Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal; theBeatrix Oryxof Southern Arabia; theGemsbuckof South-western Africa; theBeisa, which is found in North-east Africa from Suakim southwards to the river Tana; and theTufted Beisa, which isvery nearly related to the last-named species, whose place it takes south of the Tana River in certain districts of British and German East Africa. In general appearance there is a strong family resemblance between the different species of oryx. In all of them both sexes carry horns, which are considerably longer, though somewhat slighter, in the females than in the males. In the white oryx the horns are curved backwards; but in the other four species they are straight, or nearly so. In all the faces are conspicuously banded with black and white, and the tails long, with large dark terminal brushes. The two most desert-loving species, the white and the Beatrix oryx, are paler in general body-colour than the other three, and the latter animal is considerably smaller than any other member of the group, standing not more than 35 inches at the withers. The gemsbuck is the largest and undoubtedly the handsomest of the group, standing 4 feet at the shoulders; the horns of the females are often upwards of 40 inches long, and have been known to attain a length of 48 inches.
GROUP OF BEISA ORYX.GROUP OF BEISA ORYX.This most interesting photograph, taken by Lord Delamere, shows a group of these fine antelopes on the East African plains.
GROUP OF BEISA ORYX.This most interesting photograph, taken by Lord Delamere, shows a group of these fine antelopes on the East African plains.
GROUP OF BEISA ORYX.
This most interesting photograph, taken by Lord Delamere, shows a group of these fine antelopes on the East African plains.
In habits all species of oryx seem to be very similar. They are denizens of the arid sun-scorched plains of Africa, which are not necessarily devoid of all kind of vegetation, but are often covered with stunted bush, and carry a plentiful crop of coarse grass after rain. Oryx usually run in herds of from four or five to fifteen or twenty, though the beisa, the most abundant of the group, has been met with in troops numbering 400 or 500 head. All the oryx are shy and wary, and in the open country they usually frequent are difficult to approach on foot. If pursued on horseback, they run at a steady gallop, which they can maintain for long distances, swinging their bushy black tails from side to side, and holding their heads in such a way that their long straight horns are only sloped slightly backwards. Fleet and enduring, however, as oryx undoubtedly are, I am of opinion that in these respects the gemsbuck of South Africa, at any rate, is inferior to all other large antelopes living in the same country, with the single exception of the eland. I have often, when mounted on a fast horse, galloped right up to herds of gemsbuck, and on two occasions have run antelopes of this species to an absolute standstill. Oryx of all species should be approached with caution when badly wounded, as they are liable to make short rushes, and can use their horns with great effect.
Nearly related to the antelopes of the Oryx group in many essential characteristics, yet at once distinguishable by its spiral horns and broad reindeer-like feet, the desert-hauntingAddaxhas been placed in a separate genus, of which it is the sole representative.
This remarkable animal stands about 38 inches in height at the withers, and varies in general colour at different seasons of the year, from brownish grey to a reddish hue. The forehead is covered with a thick growth of bushy black hair, beneath which there is a patch of white extending across the nose to under the eyes. The hindquarters, tail, and legs are white. The horns are spiral, and are present in both sexes. In the male they attaina length of about 28 inches in a straight line, and almost 36 inches following the spiral. In the female they are thinner and less spirally curved. The addax is confined to the desert regions of Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal, and the broad, rounded hoofs, so unlike those of any other antelope, would seem to show that it inhabits countries where the soil is deep, soft sand.
WHITE ORYX.Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.WHITE ORYX.Found in Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal.
Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.WHITE ORYX.Found in Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal.
Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.
WHITE ORYX.
Found in Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal.
BEISA ORYX.Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.BEISA ORYX.The beisa is found in North-east Africa; by some it is believed to have suggested the original idea of the unicorn.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.BEISA ORYX.The beisa is found in North-east Africa; by some it is believed to have suggested the original idea of the unicorn.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.
BEISA ORYX.
The beisa is found in North-east Africa; by some it is believed to have suggested the original idea of the unicorn.
Very little is known of the life history or habits of this antelope. It is said to associate in pairs or small herds, and to be entirely independent of water, though it travels great distances over the desert in the track of thunder-storms for the sake of the young herbage which grows so quickly wherever rain falls in those thirsty regions. It is killed in considerable numbers by the Arabs for the sake of its flesh and hide, and is either stalked or hunted on horseback, with the help of greyhounds, by Europeans.
The last of the sub-families into which modern naturalists have divided the antelopes of the world comprises some of the handsomest species of the whole group, and includes the largest of all antelopes, the Eland, as well as such small and beautifully marked creatures as the Harnessed Bushbucks.
With one exception—the Nilgai—all the members of this sub-family are denizens of the great African Continent.
TheNilgai, orBlue Bull, is an inhabitant of India, and is found throughout the greater portion of the peninsula, from the base of the Himalaya to the south of Mysore. It is an animal of large size, standing about 4 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. In general colour the male is of a dark iron-grey, the female tawny fawn. White spots on the cheeks and just above the hoofs on the fore and hind feet are the outward signs of its affinity to the African harnessed antelopes. The male alone carries horns, which are nearly straight and very small for the size of the animal, rarely exceeding 9 inches in length.
Passing now to the Harnessed Antelopes of Africa, our attention is first claimed by theBushbucks. Excluding the Inyala and theBroad-horned Antelope, we find several forms of the smaller bushbucks recognised by naturalists:viz.theHarnessed Antelopeof the forest regions of Western Africa; theCape Bushbuckof South Africa;Cumming's Bushbuckof Eastern Africa; and theDecula Bushbuckof Abyssinia. The various forms of bushbuck vary in general colour from very dark brown to various shades of grey-brown, yellow-brown, and rich red. In all species the young are more or less striped and spotted; but whereas in some forms the adult animals lose their stripes and spots almost entirely, in others the adults are more richly marked than immature specimens. For my part, I am inclined to believe that, if large series of bushbuck-skins were collected from every district throughout Africa, it would be found that all the varieties of this animal at present accepted as distinct species would be found to grade into one another in such a way that only one true species could be recognised.
GERENUK.Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.GERENUK.A gazelle-like antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting North-east Africa.
Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.GERENUK.A gazelle-like antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting North-east Africa.
Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.
GERENUK.
A gazelle-like antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting North-east Africa.
The bushbucks vary in height at the shoulder from 28 inches to 33 inches, and only the males carry horns, which are nearly straight, with a close spiral twist, and measure in adult animals from 10 inches to 18 inches in length.
Bushbucks are not found in open country, but live in forest or thick bush near the bank of a river, stream, or lake, and are never met with far from water. They are very partial to wooded ravines amongst broken, mountainous country, provided such districts are well watered; and are very solitary in their habits, both males and females being usually found alone, though the latter are often accompanied by a kid or half-grown animal. They are shy and retiring, and should be looked for between daylight and sunrise, or late in the evening, as they are very nocturnal in their habits, and lie concealed in long grass or thick bush during the heat of the day. Their call resembles the bark of a dog, and may often be heard at nights.
TheBroad-horned Antelopeis only found in the forests of the West African coast range, from Liberia to Gaboon. The male of this species is a very handsome animal, standing about 43 inches at the withers, and is a bright chestnut-red in general colour, with a white spinal stripe extending from the withers to the root of the tail, and fourteen or fifteen white stripes on the shoulders, flanks, and hindquarters. The ears are large and rounded, and the horns very massive, and about 30 inches in length, measured over the single spiral twist. There are two orthree large white spots on the cheeks, and a broad white arrow-shaped mark across the nose below the eyes. The female is similar in coloration to the male, but smaller and hornless.
Little or nothing is known as to the habits of this very beautiful antelope. Du Chaillu, who met with it in the interior of Gaboon between 1856 and 1859, says that it is "very shy, swift of foot, and exceedingly graceful in its motions"; but he does not tell us whether it lives in pairs like the bushbucks, or in small herds like some of its other near allies.
FEMALE NILGAI.Photo by York & Son][Notting Hill.FEMALE NILGAI.The largest of the antelopes of India, and a distant cousin of the Kudu.
Photo by York & Son][Notting Hill.FEMALE NILGAI.The largest of the antelopes of India, and a distant cousin of the Kudu.
Photo by York & Son][Notting Hill.
FEMALE NILGAI.
The largest of the antelopes of India, and a distant cousin of the Kudu.
ADDAX.Photo by York & Son][Notting Hill.ADDAX.Unfortunately, the specimen from which this photograph was taken had lost its splendid spiral horns.
Photo by York & Son][Notting Hill.ADDAX.Unfortunately, the specimen from which this photograph was taken had lost its splendid spiral horns.
Photo by York & Son][Notting Hill.
ADDAX.
Unfortunately, the specimen from which this photograph was taken had lost its splendid spiral horns.
TheInyalais another bush-loving antelope closely allied to the bushbucks. In this species the general colour of the adult male is a deep dark grey, that of the female and young male bright yellow-red, and both sexes are beautifully striped with narrow white bands on the body and haunches. In the male long dark hair hangs from the throat, chest, and each side of the belly, and fringes the front of the thigh almost to the hock, and the back of it up to the root of the tail. The ears are large and rounded; and the horns, which are only present in the male, attain a length of about 2 feet in a straight line, and 30 inches along their spiral curve. The standing height at the shoulder of males of this species is about 42 inches.
This most beautiful antelope has a very restricted range, being only found in a narrow belt of coastland extending from St. Lucia Bay to the Sabi River, in South-east Africa, and in a still smaller area in the neighbourhood of the Upper Shiri River, in British Central Africa.
Before the acquisition of firearms by the natives in South-east Africa, the inyala was very plentiful in Northern Zululand and Amatongaland, and was then to be met with in herds of from ten to twenty individuals; whilst the males, which at certain seasons of the year separated from the females, were in the habit of consorting together in bands of from five to eight. Constant persecution by the natives in Amatongaland and the countries farther north very much reduced the numbers of inyalas in those districts a long time ago; but in Zululand, where this animal has been strictly protected by the British authorities for the last twenty years, it was still plentiful up to 1896, when the rinderpest swept over the country, and committed such sad ravages amongst all the tragelaphine antelopes that it is to be feared the inyala can now no longer be found anywhere in any considerable numbers. Where I met with these antelopes some years ago, in the country to the south of Delagoa Bay, I found them living either alone or in pairs like bushbucks. They frequented dense thickets in the immediate neighbourhood of a river or lagoon, and I never saw one in anything like open country or far away from water. Their tracks showed me that at night they were accustomed to feed in open spaces in the bush, but they always retired to the jungle again at daylight, as they had become very wary and cunning through constant persecution at the hands of the natives.
NORTHERN GIRAFFE.Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill.NORTHERN GIRAFFE.Two distinct types of Giraffe exist: the northern form, which has a large third horn, may be described as a chocolate-coloured animal marked with a network of fine buff lines; the southern form, in which the third horn is small, is fawn coloured with irregular brown blotches.
Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill.NORTHERN GIRAFFE.Two distinct types of Giraffe exist: the northern form, which has a large third horn, may be described as a chocolate-coloured animal marked with a network of fine buff lines; the southern form, in which the third horn is small, is fawn coloured with irregular brown blotches.
Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill.
NORTHERN GIRAFFE.
Two distinct types of Giraffe exist: the northern form, which has a large third horn, may be described as a chocolate-coloured animal marked with a network of fine buff lines; the southern form, in which the third horn is small, is fawn coloured with irregular brown blotches.
Closely allied to the bush-antelopes of the present group are the swamp-hauntingSitatungas. Three species of these have been described,—one from East Africa, named after Captain Speke; another from tropical West Africa; and a third from Lake Ngami and the Chobi River, named after the present writer.
A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS.Photo by Mr. W. Rau][Philadelphia.A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS.From the fact that the horns of the males are annually shed, the prongbuck is assigned to a group apart from the Antelopes.
Photo by Mr. W. Rau][Philadelphia.A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS.From the fact that the horns of the males are annually shed, the prongbuck is assigned to a group apart from the Antelopes.
Photo by Mr. W. Rau][Philadelphia.
A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS.
From the fact that the horns of the males are annually shed, the prongbuck is assigned to a group apart from the Antelopes.
There is very little difference between the adult males of these three species, except that in the West African form the coat is of a darker colour than in the other two. The main difference consists in the fact that, whereas the female of Selous' sitatunga is light brown in colour like the male, and the newly born young are very dark blackish brown (the colour of a mole), beautifully striped and spotted with pale yellow, the female and young of the other two forms are red in ground-colour, with white spots and stripes. However, personally I am of opinion that there is only one true species of sitatunga in all Africa, and that the differences between the various forms are superficial, and would be found to grade one into the other, if a sufficiently large series of skins of all ages and both sexes could be gathered together from all parts of the continent. In the Barotse Valley, on the Upper Zambesi, my friend Major R. T. Coryndon informs me that both red and brown female sitatungas are met with. On the Lower Chobi and Lake Ngami region the females are never red, but always of the same brown colour as the males, whilst on the Congo all the females are red.
The male sitatunga stands about 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, and varies in general colour in different localities from light to dark brown. The adult females are either red with a few faint stripes and spots, or light brown, only retaining very faint traces of any stripes or spots. The young are, both in tropical West and Central East Africa, red, striped, and spotted with white; but in South-west Africa dark blackish brown, with spots and stripes of yellowish white. The hoofs are excessively long, and the skin which covers the back of the pastern is hairless, and of a very thick and horny consistency. The males alone carry horns, which are of the same character as in the inyala, but more spiral and longer, having been known to attain a length of 28 inches in a straight line and 35 inches over the curve.
The sitatunga is an inhabitant of the extensive swamps which exist in many parts of the interior of Africa. It may be said to live in the water, as it passes its life in flooded beds of reeds and papyrus, into the muddy bottoms of which its long hoofs, when splayed out, preventit from sinking. When forced out into dry ground by heavy floods, the formation of its feet so hinders it in running that it can be overtaken and speared by a native on foot. I was informed by the natives on the Chobi River that, when the floods enabled them to paddle their canoes through the reed-beds, they often killed considerable numbers of the sitatungas. These animals, they said, when they saw a canoe approaching, would often not attempt to seek safety by flight, but would sink down in the water, submerging their whole bodies, and leaving only their nostrils above the surface, and in this position were easily speared.
The sitatunga is not gregarious, but is met with singly or in pairs. The hair is long, but soft and silky; and the skins are much sought after by the natives for blankets.
In addition to the bushbucks and sitatungas, two more very notable spiral-horned African antelopes remain to be mentioned—namely, theGreater Kuduand theLesser Kudu.
FEMALE GORAL.Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.FEMALE GORAL.The goral is a Himalayan antelope, with somewhat the habits of a chamois.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.FEMALE GORAL.The goral is a Himalayan antelope, with somewhat the habits of a chamois.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.
FEMALE GORAL.
The goral is a Himalayan antelope, with somewhat the habits of a chamois.
HARNESSED ANTELOPE.Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.HARNESSED ANTELOPE.A very beautiful species, in which the ground-colour of the coat is a rich chestnut, while the spots and stripes are pure white.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.HARNESSED ANTELOPE.A very beautiful species, in which the ground-colour of the coat is a rich chestnut, while the spots and stripes are pure white.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.
HARNESSED ANTELOPE.
A very beautiful species, in which the ground-colour of the coat is a rich chestnut, while the spots and stripes are pure white.
TheGreater Kuduis one of the most magnificent-looking of the whole family of antelopes, and is an animal of large size, an adult male standing 4 feet 9 inches and upwards at the withers. The general colour of this species is light brown to dark grey, the old males looking much darker than females or younger animals, because the scantiness of their coats shows the dark colour of the skin beneath. On each side of the body and hind-quarters there are several white stripes, which vary in number from four to eight or nine. As in all this group of antelopes,there are two or three cheek-spots, as well as an arrow-shaped white mark across the nose, below the eyes. In the male there is a slight mane on the back of the neck, and a fringe of long white and blackish-brown hair intermixed, extending from the throat to the chest. The ears are very large and rounded, and the male is adorned with magnificent spiral horns, which have been known to attain a length of 48 inches in a straight line from base to tip, and 64 inches over the curve.
The greater kudu once had a very wide range, which extended from the central portions of the Cape Colony to Angola on the west, and on the east throughout East Africa up to Abyssinia; but, with the single exception of the buffalo, no species of wild animal suffered more from the terrible scourge of rinderpest which recently swept over the continent than this lordly antelope, and it has almost ceased to exist in many districts of South and South Central Africa, where up to 1896 it was still very numerous.
MALE KUDU.Photo by Percy Ashenden][Cape Town.MALE KUDU.A kudu bull stands about 5 feet or a little more at the withers, being in size only inferior to the eland. The horns form a corkscrew-like spiral.
Photo by Percy Ashenden][Cape Town.MALE KUDU.A kudu bull stands about 5 feet or a little more at the withers, being in size only inferior to the eland. The horns form a corkscrew-like spiral.
Photo by Percy Ashenden][Cape Town.
MALE KUDU.
A kudu bull stands about 5 feet or a little more at the withers, being in size only inferior to the eland. The horns form a corkscrew-like spiral.
The greater kudu is a bush-loving antelope, and very partial to wooded hills, though it is also plentiful in the neighbourhood of rivers which flow through level tracts of country covered with forest and bush. In my own experience it is never found at any great distance from water. It eats leaves and wild fruits as well as grass, and lives in small herds or families, never, I believe, congregating in large numbers. In Southern Africa, at any rate, it was always exceptional to see more than twenty greater kudus together, and I have never seen more than thirty. At certain seasons of the year the males leave the females, and live alone or several together. I once saw nine magnificently horned kudus standing on the bank of the Chobi, and I have often seen four or five males of this species consorting together. As a rule the greater kudu is met with in hilly country or in bush so dense that a horse cannot gallop through it at full speed; but if met with in open ground, a good horse can overtake an old male without much difficulty. The females are much lighter and faster, and cannot be overtaken in any kind of ground.
The greater kudu is one of the most timid and inoffensive of animals, and when attacked by dogs will not make the slightest attempt to defend itself either with its horns or by kicking.
TheLesser Kuduin general colour nearly resembles its larger relative, but is much smaller, the males only standing about 40 inches at the withers, and it lacks the long fringe of hair under the throat. The white stripes on the body and hindquarters are, however, more numerous—from eleven to fourteen; and the horns, which are only present in the males, are less divergent, and with the spiral curvature much closer than in the greater kudu.
The lesser kudu is an inhabitant of Somaliland and the maritimedistricts of British East, Africa. It frequents thick scrubby jungle, and is said to be exceedingly watchful and wary. It lives either in pairs or in small families, but never congregates in large herds. Like all the tragelaphine antelopes, this species is a leaf-eater, and feeds principally during the night, lying up in thick bush during the heat of the day.
ELAND.Photo by J. W. McLellan][Highbury.ELAND.A feature of the eland is the large "dewlap." Unlike the kudu, both sexes are horned.
Photo by J. W. McLellan][Highbury.ELAND.A feature of the eland is the large "dewlap." Unlike the kudu, both sexes are horned.
Photo by J. W. McLellan][Highbury.
ELAND.
A feature of the eland is the large "dewlap." Unlike the kudu, both sexes are horned.
There remains to be mentioned but one other group of antelopes, theElands, large, heavily built animals, which belong to the present group, but differ from all species of kudu, sitatunga, and bushbuck, inasmuch as both sexes are horned. There are two forms of theCommon Eland—namely, the grey variety of South-western Africa, and the striped animal, which is found in the countries farther north and east. The two forms grade one into the other, and are absolutely identical in their habits and mode of life, the differences between them being merely superficial. To the south of the twenty-third parallel of south latitude all elands are of a uniform fawn colour, except the old animals, which look dark grey, from the fact that the scantiness of their coats allows the dark colour of the skin to show through the hair. Old males, when standing in the shade of a tree, appear to be of a deep blue-grey in colour, and are known to the colonists of South Africa as "blue bulls." In Rhodesia, South-east Africa, and the countries to the north of the Zambesi, all the elands are bright chestnut-red when young, with a black line down the centre of the back from the withers to the tail, broad black patches on the backs of the fore legs above the knees, and eight or nine white stripes on each side. When they grow old, the ruddiness of the ground-colour gradually fades, the black markings on the fore legs die out, and the white stripes become indistinguishable at a short distance, the old bulls looking deep blue-grey in general colour. Every intermediate stage of colouring between the unstriped and the highly coloured forms of eland is to be found in the district lying between the central portions of the Kalahari Desert and the Zambesi River. Old male elands south of the Zambesi develop a growth of long, bristly black hair on the forehead, which often hangs over their eyes and extends half-way down their noses. North of the Zambesi this growth of hair is not nearly so luxuriant.
I have carefully measured the standing height at the withers of many old male elands in the interior of South Africa, and found that it varied from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. The horns of bulls in their prime measure from 26 inches to 33 inches in length, but old bulls wear their horns down very much. The cows carry longer, though thinner horns than the bulls.
The range of the eland once extended from Cape Agulhas to the White Nile, but it has become extinct in many districts of Southern Africa, and in almost every other portion of its range has, like all other tragelaphine antelopes, suffered so cruelly from the recent visitation of rinderpest that it has now become a scarce animal all over Africa.
ELAND COWS.Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.ELAND COWS.Female elands carry longer, although more slender horns than the bulls.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.ELAND COWS.Female elands carry longer, although more slender horns than the bulls.
Photo by the Duchess of Bedford][Woburn Abbey.
ELAND COWS.
Female elands carry longer, although more slender horns than the bulls.
During the rainy season elands are usually met with in small herds of from four or five to ten individuals; but towards the end of the dry season they collect into large herds, and at such times I have often seen from fifty to over two hundred of these animals in one troop.
In my experience elands live for two-thirds of the year in forest or bush-covered country, or amongst rugged hills; and in such localities they are difficult to overtake on horseback; but in the middle of the dry season, as soon as they smell the smoke of the grass fires lighted by the natives on the open plateaux, they leave their retreats, and, collecting in herds, wander out on to the treeless plains in search of young grass. They then fall an easy prey to a mounted hunter, especially the heavy old bulls, which can be run to a standstill with ease by a very moderate horse.
The flesh of the eland is excellent when the animal is in good condition, as at such a time these animals become very fat, especially the old bulls, whose hearts become encased in a mass of fat which will often weigh 20 lbs. It is a mistake, however, to think that eland-meat is always good; for towards the end of the dry season, when there is little grass to be got, they feed extensively on the leaves of certain bushes, and their meat at such times becomes very poor and tasteless.
Besides the common eland of Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa, another distinct species is met with in Senegal and the Gambia Colony. This is theDerbian Eland, about which animal our knowledge is still very slight, as I believe that it has never yet been shot nor its habits studied by a European traveller. A good many skulls and horns and a few skins have been obtained from natives, from which it appears that in general colour this species is of a rich reddish-fawn colour, becoming nearly white below, the middle of the belly being black. The neck is covered with long hair of a dark brown or black colour, blacker towards the shoulder than in front. A broad black stripe extends all down the centre of the back from the neck to the root of the tail, and there are large black patches on the backs and inner sides of the fore legs above the knees. On each side of the body and haunches there are thirteen or fourteen narrow white stripes. The horns are larger and more massive and divergent than in the common eland.
BULL ELAND.Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.BULL ELAND.The flesh of the eland is of better flavour than that of most other large game. If sheltered in winter, the species will thrive in English parks.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.BULL ELAND.The flesh of the eland is of better flavour than that of most other large game. If sheltered in winter, the species will thrive in English parks.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.
BULL ELAND.
The flesh of the eland is of better flavour than that of most other large game. If sheltered in winter, the species will thrive in English parks.
The Derbian eland is said to be a forest-loving animal, never of its own accord coming out into the plains. It lives in small herds, is very shy and not at all abundant, and browses on the leaves and young shoots of various trees and bushes.
THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.The tallest mammal ever known to walk the earth.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.The tallest mammal ever known to walk the earth.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.
THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.
The tallest mammal ever known to walk the earth.
THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI.
THE GIRAFFE.
BY H. A. BRYDEN.
Giraffes, which are found only in the continent of Africa, are the tallest of all living creatures. They belong to the Ruminants, or Cud-chewers, and naturalists are inclined to place them somewhere between the Deer Family and the Hollow-horned Ruminants, in which latter are to be found oxen, buffaloes, and antelopes. Rütimeyer, the Swiss naturalist, once defined them as "a most fantastic form of deer," which is, perhaps, as good a definition of them as one is likely to hit upon. Fossil discoveries show that, in ages long remote, great giraffe-like creatures, some of them bearing horns or antlers, roamed widely in the south of Europe, Persia, India and even China.
SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN.Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN.This giraffe was a present to Queen Victoria; it only lived fourteen days after its arrival.
Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN.This giraffe was a present to Queen Victoria; it only lived fourteen days after its arrival.
Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.
SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN.
This giraffe was a present to Queen Victoria; it only lived fourteen days after its arrival.
Of living giraffes, two species have thus far been identified,—theSouthernorCape Giraffe, with a range extending from Bechuanaland and the Transvaal to British East Africa and the Soudan; and theNubianorNorthern Giraffe, found chiefly in East Africa, Somaliland, and the country between Abyssinia and the Nile. The southern giraffe, which, from its recent appearance in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, is now the more familiar of the two animals, has a creamy or yellowish-white ground-colour, marked by irregular blotches, which vary in colour, in animals of different ages, from lemon-fawn to orange-tawny, and in older specimens to a very dark chestnut. Old bulls and occasionally old cows grow extremely dark with age, and at a distance appear almost black upon the back and shoulders. The northern giraffe is widely different, the coloration being usually a rich red-chestnut, darker with age, separated by a fine network of white lines, symmetrically arranged in polygonal patterns. At no great distance this giraffe, instead of having the blotchy or dappled appearance of the southern giraffe, looks almost entirely chestnut in colour. Again, the southern giraffe has only two horns, while the northern species usually develops a third, growing from the centre of the forehead. These horns, which are covered with hair in both species, and tufted black at the tips, are, in the youthful days of the animal, actually separable from the bones of the head. As the animal arrives at maturity, they become firmlyunited to the skull. A third race or sub-species of giraffe has been identified in Western Africa, mainly from the skull and cannon-bones of a specimen shot in 1897 at the junction of the Binue and Niger Rivers; but very little is known about this form. Other varieties or sub-species may yet be discovered in other parts of the Dark Continent. It is lacking in the giraffe's long neck.
The towering height of the giraffe is entirely attributable to the great length of the neck and limbs. A full-grown bull giraffe will certainly measure occasionally as much as 19 feet in height. I measured very carefully a specimen shot by my hunting friend, Mr. W. Dove, in the forests of the North Kalahari, South Africa, which taped 18 feet 11½ inches. A fine cow, shot by myself in the same country, measured 16 feet 10 inches, and there is no reason to suppose that cow giraffes do not easily reach fully 17 feet in height. These animals feed almost entirely upon the leaves of acacia-trees, the foliage of thekameel-doorn, or giraffe-acacia, affording their most favourite food-supply. It is a most beautiful spectacle to see, as I have seen, a large troop of these dappled giants—creatures which, somehow, viewed in the wild state, always seem to me to belong to another epoch—quietly browsing, with upstretched necks and delicate heads, among the branches of the spreadingmokala, as the Bechuanas call this tree.
The giraffe's upper lip is long and prehensile, and covered, no doubt as a protection against thorns, with a thick velvety coating of short hair. The tongue is long—some 18 inches in length—and is employed for plucking down the tender leafage on which the giraffe feeds. The eyes of the giraffe are most beautiful—dark brown, shaded by long lashes, and peculiarly tender and melting in expression. Singularly enough, the animal is absolutely mute, and never, even in its death-agonies, utters a sound. The hoofs are large, elongate, nearly 12 inches in length in the case of old bulls, and look like those of gigantic cattle. There are no false hoofs, and the fetlock is round and smooth. The skin of a full-grown giraffe is extraordinarily tough and solid, attaining in the case of old males as much as an inch in thickness. From these animals most of thesjamboks, or colonial whips, in use all over South Africa, are now made; and it is a miserable fact to record that giraffes are now slaughtered by native and Boer hunters almost solely for the value of the hide, which is worth from £3 to £5 in the case of full-grown beasts. So perishes the giraffe from South Africa.
MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.The coloration of these animals harmonises exactly with the dark and light splashes of their surroundings.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.The coloration of these animals harmonises exactly with the dark and light splashes of their surroundings.
Photo by W. P. Dando][Regent's Park.
MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.
The coloration of these animals harmonises exactly with the dark and light splashes of their surroundings.
Giraffes live mainly in forest country, or country partially open and partially clothed with thin, park-like stretches of low acacia-trees. When pursued, they betake themselves to the densest parts of the bush and timber, and, their thick hides being absolutely impervious to the frightful thorns with which all African jungle and forest seem to be provided, burst through every bushy obstacle with the greatest ease. They steer also in the most wonderful manner through the timber, ducking branches and evading tree-boles with marvellous facility. I shall never forget seeing my hunting comrade after his first chase in thick bush. We had ridden, as we always rode hunting, in our flannel shirts, coatless. Attracted by his firing, I came up with my friend, who was sitting on the body of a huge old bull giraffe, which had fallen dead in a grassy clearing. He was looking ruefully at the remains of his shirt, which hung about him, literally in rags and ribbons. Blood was streaming from innumerable wounds uponhis chest, neck, and arms. Always after that we donned cord coats, when running giraffes in bush and forest country.
A GIRAFFE GRAZING.Photo by A. S. Rutland & Sons.A GIRAFFE GRAZING.Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals, which are essentially browsers.
Photo by A. S. Rutland & Sons.A GIRAFFE GRAZING.Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals, which are essentially browsers.
Photo by A. S. Rutland & Sons.
A GIRAFFE GRAZING.
Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals, which are essentially browsers.
In regions where they have been little disturbed, giraffes no doubt wander across open plains, and are to be seen well away from the denser forests, feeding among scattered islets of acacias, easily exposed to the human eye. But in South Africa they are now seldom to be met with out of the forest region. Once, and once only, have I seen giraffes in the open. This was on the outskirts of the forest, and the great creatures had been tempted to a little knoll ofmokalatrees, rising like an islet from the sea of grass.
One's first impression of these creatures in the wild state is very deceptive. I well remember first setting eyes upon a troop of five or six. As they swung away from the leafage on which they were feeding, my friend and I cantered easily, thinking that we should soon come up with them. We were completely deceived. With those immense legs of theirs, the great creatures, going with their easy, shuffling, but marvellously swift walk, were simply striding away from us. Discovering our mistake, we rode hard, and the giraffes then broke into their strange, rocking gallop, and a headlong, desperate chase began, to be terminated by the death of a fine cow. Like the camel, the giraffe progresses by moving the two legs upon either side of the body simultaneously. At this strange, rocking gallop these animals move at a great pace, and a good Cape horse is needed to run into them. By far the best plan, if you are bent on shooting these animals, is to press your pony, so soon as you sight giraffes, to the top of its speed, and force the game beyond its natural paces in one desperate gallop of a couple of miles or so. If well mounted, your nag will take you right up to the heels of the tall beasts, and, firing from the saddle, you can, without great difficulty, bring down the game. The giraffe, unlike the antelopes of Africa, is not very tenacious of life, and a bullet planted near the root of the tail will, penetrating the short body, pierce a vital spot, and bring down the tall beast crashing to earth. Having tasted the delights of fox-hunting and many other forms of sport, I can testify that the run up to a good troop of giraffes is one of the most thrilling and exciting of all human experiences. There is nothing else quite like it in the wide range of sporting emotions. Having enjoyed this thrilling pleasure a few times, however, the humane hunter will stay his hand, and shoot only when meat, or perhaps an exceptionally fine specimen, is absolutely needed. Giraffes are, of course, utterly defenceless, and, save for their shy, wary habits and remote, waterless habitat, have nothing to shield them from the mounted hunter.
Giraffe-hunting on foot is a very different matter. In that case the giraffe has the better of it, and the stalker is placed at great disadvantage. These animals are in many places found in extremely waterless country, where even the mounted hunter has much trouble to reach them. Like elands and gemsbok and other desert-loving antelopes, they can exist for long periods—months together—without drinking. In the northern portions of the Kalahari Desert, where I have carefully observed their habits, as well as hunted them, it is an undoubtedfact that giraffes never touch water during the whole of the dry winter season—for several months on end. Gemsbok and elands in the same waterless tract of country are complete abstainers for the same period. The flesh of a giraffe cow, if fairly young, is excellent, tender, and well tasted, with a flavour of game-like veal. The marrow-bones also, roasted over a gentle wood fire, and sawn in half, afford delicious eating, quite one of the supreme delicacies of the African wilderness.
A GIRAFFE BROWSING.Photo by Charles Knight][Aldershot.A GIRAFFE BROWSING.Here the posture is seen to be thoroughly natural.
Photo by Charles Knight][Aldershot.A GIRAFFE BROWSING.Here the posture is seen to be thoroughly natural.
Photo by Charles Knight][Aldershot.
A GIRAFFE BROWSING.
Here the posture is seen to be thoroughly natural.
THE OKAPI.
BY SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, K.C.B., F.Z.S.
Readers of "The Living Animals of the World" are in all probability readers of newspapers, and it would therefore be affectation on the part of the writer of these lines to assume that they have not heard more or less of the discovery which he was privileged to make of an entirely new ruminant of large size, dwelling in the forests bordering the Semliki River, in Central Africa, on the borderland between the Uganda Protectorate and the Congo Free State. The history of this discovery, stated briefly, is as follows:—In 1882-83 I was the guest of Mr. (now Sir Henry) Stanley on the River Congo at Stanley Pool. I was visiting the Congo at that time as an explorer in a very small way and a naturalist. Mr. Stanley, conversing with me on the possibility of African discoveries, told me then that he believed that all that was most wonderful in tropical Africa would be found to be concentrated in the region of the Blue Mountains, south of the Albert Nyanza. This feeling on Stanley's part doubtless was one of the reasons which urged him to go to the relief of Emin Pasha. His journey through the great Congo Forest towards the Blue Mountains of the Albert Nyanza resulted in his discovery of the greatest snow mountain-range of Africa, Ruwenzori, and the river Semliki, which is the Upper Albertine Nile; of Lake Albert Edward, from which it flows round the flanks of Ruwenzori; and, amongst other things, in more detailed information regarding the dwarf races of the Northern Congo forests than we had yet received. Stanley also was the first to draw the attention of the world to the dense and awful character of these mighty woods, and to hint at the mysteries and wonders in natural history which they possibly contained. The stress and trouble of his expedition prevented him and his companions from bestowing much attention on natural history; moreover, in these forests it is extremely difficult for persons who are passing hurriedly through the tangle to come into actual contact with the beasts that inhabit them. Sir Henry Stanley, discussing this subject with me since my return from Uganda, tells me that he believes that the okapi is only one amongst several strange new beasts which will be eventually discovered in these remarkable forests. He describes having seen a creature like a gigantic pig 6 feet in length, and certain antelopes unlike any known type. In regard to the okapi, the only hint of its existence which he obtained was the announcement that the dwarfs knew of the existence of a creature in their forests which greatly resembled an ass in appearance, and which they caught in pits. This tiny sentence in an appendix to his book "In Darkest Africa" attracted my attention some time before I went to Uganda. It seemed to me so extraordinary that any creature like a horse should inhabit a denseforest, that I determined, if ever fate should lead me in that direction, I would make enquiries.