Genus II.DAMALISCUS.

Fig. 4b.Horns ofBubalis cokei, side view.

Fig. 4b.

Horns ofBubalis cokei, side view.

Mr. Ernest Gedge, who traversed British East Africa in company with Mr. F. J. Jackson, has kindly compiled from his note-books the following account of his experiences with Coke’s Hartebeest:—

“These Antelopes range over a very wide extent of country in both Britishand German East Africa. In the latter sphere I have procured specimens on the south shore of the Victoria Nyanza which in all respects were identical with those found nearer the coast; hence it is reasonable to suppose that they occupy the entire region lying between the lake and the coast. In British East Africa the northern limit of their extension seems to be somewhere about Lake Naivasha in the Masai country. On one occasion, however, I obtained an odd specimen in the valley of the Ngare Rongri, to the south of Lake Baringo, but, as a rule, they are not to be found so far north, as in this district they give place toB. jacksoni.

Fig. 4c.Horns ofBubalis cokei, front view.(Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, xiv. p. 426.)

Fig. 4c.

Horns ofBubalis cokei, front view.

(Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, xiv. p. 426.)

“Between Lake Naivasha and the coastB. cokeiis very commonly met with. It frequents every kind of locality, and is equally at home in the bush-covered wilderness lying behind the coast-line and on the vast treeless plains around the base of Kilimanjaro which extend northwards towards Lake Naivasha, and during the hottest seasons of the year it is often encountered in the most arid and pastureless localities many miles distant from the nearest water.

“Being of a sociable disposition, Coke’s Hartebeest is usually seen incompany with other game, and the sight of these vast mixed herds, which include Zebras and Grant’s and Thomson’s Gazelles, is one not easily forgotten. Like all Hartebeest it is very wary and difficult to approach, its senses of sight and scent being extremely keen. During the time that the herd is grazing there are usually one or two sentinels posted on the nearest elevations to give warning of the approach of danger. The white-ant-hills with which the entire country abounds are usually selected for this purpose, and are patronized to such an extent, that I have seen as many as eight or ten occupying the summit of one of these hills, which looked as if it could only support a third of that number. The reddish colour and general contour of these mounds bears in many cases so close a resemblance to the Antelopes themselves (particularly when grazing) that I have frequently been deceived by their appearance.

“When alarmed they utter a few short whistling snorts and take to flight. If surprised suddenly in the bush they usually run a considerable distance before halting, but when the danger has been perceived from a distance in the open they run but a short distance at a time, pausing frequently to turn round and scrutinize the object of their alarm. In this case there are generally one or two bulls keeping at some distance in the rear of the herd, whose fatal curiosity will often delay them until they fall victims to the rifle.

“The speed of this Antelope is very great, and when thoroughly alarmed they will cover the roughest ground in the most airy and graceful fashion, striking the earth with all four feet together, and springing up with immense bounds like an india-rubber ball. Their tenacity of life is also remarkable, and I have known them travel a long distance with several bullets in different parts of their bodies. The hunter who would be successful must in consequence possess a good rifle and hold it very straight.

“They vary in colour from a light tawny red to chestnut. Age has probably something to do with this, though the males are usually darker than the females, and they are inferior both in size and strength toB. jacksonifurther north.

“The cows calve during the latter part of November and December, and on several occasions I have come across their young lying concealed in the long grass, whilst the anxious mother was watching the proceedings from a short distance.”

Our coloured illustration of this species (Plate III.) has been prepared by Mr. Smit from a mounted specimen in the British Museum, which was brought from the Kilimanjaro district by Mr. F. J. Jackson. There is in the same collection a head from the mountains of Taita, obtained by Mr. J. Wray.

May, 1894.

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES. PL. IV.Wolf del. Smit lith.Hanhart imp.The Cape Hartebeest.BUBALIS CAAMA.Published by R. H. Porter.

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES. PL. IV.

Wolf del. Smit lith.

Hanhart imp.

The Cape Hartebeest.

BUBALIS CAAMA.

Published by R. H. Porter.

Hartebeest,Sparrm. K.Vet.-Ak. Hand-l. 1779, p. 151, pl. v.;id.Voy. to Cape (Engl. transl.) ii. pp. 96, 199, pl. i. (1786).Le Caama ou Bubale,Buff.Hist. Nat. Suppl. vi. p. 135, pl. xv. (1782).Antilope bubalis,Schr.Säug. pl. cclxxvii. (animal) (1787) (and in part of other early authors, not of Pallas).Antilope caama,G. Cuv.Dict. Sci. Nat. ii. p. 242 (1816);Desm.N. Dict. d’H. N. (2) ii. p. 196 (1816);Goldf.in Schr. Säug. v. p. 1174 (1820);Schinz, Cuv. Thierr. i. p. 390 (1821);Burchell, Trav. i. p. 420 (1822);Desm.Mamm. ii. p. 467 (1822);Desmoul.Dict. Class. i. p. 444 (1822);Less.Man. Mamm. p. 382 (1827);Fisch.Syn. Mamm. p. 474 (1829);Waterh.Cat. Mamm. Mus. Z. S. (2) p. 41 (1838);Less.N. Tabl. R. A., Mamm. p. 180 (1842);Wagn.Schr. Säug. Suppl. iv. p. 469 (1844), v. p. 444 (1855);Schinz, Syn. Mamm. ii. p. 443 (1845);Gieb.Säug. p. 297 (1859);Drummond, Large Game S. Afr. p. 425 (1875).Antilope dorcas,Thunb.Mém. Ac. Pétersb. iii. p. 316 (1811).Cerophorus (Alcelaphus) caama,Blainv.Bull. Soc. Philom. 1816, p. 75.Damalis caama,Ham. Sm.Griff. Cuv. An. K. iv. p. 348;id.v. p. 362 (1827);Smuts, En. Mamm. Cap. p. 88 (1832).Acronotus caama,A. Sm.S. Afr. Q. J. ii. p. 221 (1834);Harris, Wild Sport S. Afr. p. 377 (1839);id.op. cit. 5th ed. pl. x. (animal) (1852);id.Wild An. S. Afr. (fol.) pl. vii. (animal) (1840);Gray, List Mamm. B. M. p. 157 (1843);id.List Ost. B. M. p. 58 (1847).Bubalus caama,A. Sm.Ill. Zool. S. Afr. pl. xxx. (animal) (1840).Bubalis caama,Sund.Pecora, K. Vet.-Ak. Hand-l. 1844, p. 208 (1846);id.Hornschuh’s Transl. p. 83 (1848);Temm.Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 195 (1853);Brehm, Thierl. iii. p. 218, woodcut (animal) (1880);Nicholls & Egl.Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 45, pl. iv. fig. 13 (head) (1892);Ward, Horn Meas. p. 56 (1892);Selous, P. Z. S. 1893, p. 1(hybrid withDamaliscus lunatus);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 196, fig. 37 (animal) (1893).Boselaphus caama,Gray, Ann. Mag. N. H. (1) xviii. p. 233 (1846);id.P. Z. S. 1850, p. 139;id.Knowsl. Men. p. 20, pl. xx. fig. 2 (animal) (1850);Blyth, Cat. Mus. As. Soc. p. 170 (1863);id.P. Z. S. 1869, p. 52, figs. 4 & 5 (horns).Alcelaphus caama,Gray, Cat. Ung. B. M. p. 124, pl. xvi. figs. 1–3 (skull and horns) (1852);Gerr.Cat. Bones Mamm. B. M. p. 243 (1862);Gray, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 44 (1872);id.Hand-l. Rum. p. 115 (1873);Buckley, P. Z. S. 1876, pp. 285 & 292; 1877, p. 454 (distribution);Rütimeyer, Rind. Tert.-Epoch. p. 47 (1877);Selous, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 763 (distribution);id.Hunter’s Wanderings, p. 224, pl. vii. figs. 5 & 6 (head) (1881);Scl.List Anim. Zool. Soc. (8) p. 148 (1883); id. P. Z. S. 1890, p. 411;Flow. & Gars.Cat. Ost. Coll. Surg. ii. p. 272 (1884);Jent.Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 139 (1887);Bryden, Kloof and Karroo, p. 291 (1889);Lyd.Field, lxxvii. p. 858, fig. 1 (animal) (1891);Flow. & Lyd.Mamm. p. 335, fig. 137 (animal) (1891);Scl.f. Cat. Mamm. Calc. Mus. ii. p. 170 (1891);Jent.Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, xi.) p. 171 (1892);Distant, Transvaal, p. 12 (1892);Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 505 (1893) (Kalahari Desert).

Hartebeest,Sparrm. K.Vet.-Ak. Hand-l. 1779, p. 151, pl. v.;id.Voy. to Cape (Engl. transl.) ii. pp. 96, 199, pl. i. (1786).

Le Caama ou Bubale,Buff.Hist. Nat. Suppl. vi. p. 135, pl. xv. (1782).

Antilope bubalis,Schr.Säug. pl. cclxxvii. (animal) (1787) (and in part of other early authors, not of Pallas).

Antilope caama,G. Cuv.Dict. Sci. Nat. ii. p. 242 (1816);Desm.N. Dict. d’H. N. (2) ii. p. 196 (1816);Goldf.in Schr. Säug. v. p. 1174 (1820);Schinz, Cuv. Thierr. i. p. 390 (1821);Burchell, Trav. i. p. 420 (1822);Desm.Mamm. ii. p. 467 (1822);Desmoul.Dict. Class. i. p. 444 (1822);Less.Man. Mamm. p. 382 (1827);Fisch.Syn. Mamm. p. 474 (1829);Waterh.Cat. Mamm. Mus. Z. S. (2) p. 41 (1838);Less.N. Tabl. R. A., Mamm. p. 180 (1842);Wagn.Schr. Säug. Suppl. iv. p. 469 (1844), v. p. 444 (1855);Schinz, Syn. Mamm. ii. p. 443 (1845);Gieb.Säug. p. 297 (1859);Drummond, Large Game S. Afr. p. 425 (1875).

Antilope dorcas,Thunb.Mém. Ac. Pétersb. iii. p. 316 (1811).

Cerophorus (Alcelaphus) caama,Blainv.Bull. Soc. Philom. 1816, p. 75.

Damalis caama,Ham. Sm.Griff. Cuv. An. K. iv. p. 348;id.v. p. 362 (1827);Smuts, En. Mamm. Cap. p. 88 (1832).

Acronotus caama,A. Sm.S. Afr. Q. J. ii. p. 221 (1834);Harris, Wild Sport S. Afr. p. 377 (1839);id.op. cit. 5th ed. pl. x. (animal) (1852);id.Wild An. S. Afr. (fol.) pl. vii. (animal) (1840);Gray, List Mamm. B. M. p. 157 (1843);id.List Ost. B. M. p. 58 (1847).

Bubalus caama,A. Sm.Ill. Zool. S. Afr. pl. xxx. (animal) (1840).

Bubalis caama,Sund.Pecora, K. Vet.-Ak. Hand-l. 1844, p. 208 (1846);id.Hornschuh’s Transl. p. 83 (1848);Temm.Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 195 (1853);Brehm, Thierl. iii. p. 218, woodcut (animal) (1880);Nicholls & Egl.Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 45, pl. iv. fig. 13 (head) (1892);Ward, Horn Meas. p. 56 (1892);Selous, P. Z. S. 1893, p. 1

(hybrid withDamaliscus lunatus);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 196, fig. 37 (animal) (1893).

Boselaphus caama,Gray, Ann. Mag. N. H. (1) xviii. p. 233 (1846);id.P. Z. S. 1850, p. 139;id.Knowsl. Men. p. 20, pl. xx. fig. 2 (animal) (1850);Blyth, Cat. Mus. As. Soc. p. 170 (1863);id.P. Z. S. 1869, p. 52, figs. 4 & 5 (horns).

Alcelaphus caama,Gray, Cat. Ung. B. M. p. 124, pl. xvi. figs. 1–3 (skull and horns) (1852);Gerr.Cat. Bones Mamm. B. M. p. 243 (1862);Gray, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 44 (1872);id.Hand-l. Rum. p. 115 (1873);Buckley, P. Z. S. 1876, pp. 285 & 292; 1877, p. 454 (distribution);Rütimeyer, Rind. Tert.-Epoch. p. 47 (1877);Selous, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 763 (distribution);id.Hunter’s Wanderings, p. 224, pl. vii. figs. 5 & 6 (head) (1881);Scl.List Anim. Zool. Soc. (8) p. 148 (1883); id. P. Z. S. 1890, p. 411;Flow. & Gars.Cat. Ost. Coll. Surg. ii. p. 272 (1884);Jent.Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 139 (1887);Bryden, Kloof and Karroo, p. 291 (1889);Lyd.Field, lxxvii. p. 858, fig. 1 (animal) (1891);Flow. & Lyd.Mamm. p. 335, fig. 137 (animal) (1891);Scl.f. Cat. Mamm. Calc. Mus. ii. p. 170 (1891);Jent.Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, xi.) p. 171 (1892);Distant, Transvaal, p. 12 (1892);Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 505 (1893) (Kalahari Desert).

Vernacular Names:—Hartebeestof Cape Dutch and English;Khamaof Bechuanas, and the same, with a click, of Masaras;Ingamaof Makalakas (Selous);Inhluzeleof Zulus (Drummond).

Size large; height at withers about 48 inches. Suborbital gland present, and provided with a distinct tuft. General colour brownish fulvous, darker than in any of the previous species; face with a black blaze running up to the horns, but interrupted between the eyes; back of neck with a dark line from the horns to the withers; chin blackish, outer sides of shoulders and hips black. These darker markings are not visible in the young. Lower part of rump behind whitish or yellowish, contrasting markedly with its dark upperside.

Skull with the frontal part excessively elongated and narrow. The measurements of a fine skull in the Leyden Museum are as follows:—basal length 17·6 inches, greatest breadth 6·1, orbit to tip of muzzle 12·7; facial length 19·3, breadth of forehead below horns 5·1.

Horns diverging evenly outwards at their bases, so as to form awhen viewed from the front, then curved forwards and upwards, and finally bent sharply backwards so as to form almost an abrupt right angle behind the last bend. Good horns attain a length of about 22 or 24 inches.

Hab.South Africa, south of the Limpopo River, but extending further north along the edge of the Kalahari Desert. Now nearly extinct in the Cape Colony; still found in the Transvaal.

The Hartebeest was well known to Sparrmann and other travellers in the Cape Colony at the close of the last century. It was figured by Buffon in one of the supplementary volumes to his ‘Histoire Naturelle’ as the “Caama ou Bubale,” but was generally confounded by systematists with the Bubal of North Africa, until Georges Cuvier, in 1816, gave it the name ofAntilope caama—“Caama” or “Khama” being the term applied to it by the Bechuanas. In the days of Sparrmann the Hartebeest was very abundant all over the Cape Colony, and was found in large troops even in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town.

In 1811, when Burchell visited South Africa, the Hartebeest appears to have become already much less abundant; but Burchell speaks of having met with it on the Gariep or Orange River and in other localities.

Twenty-five years later, when Harris made his celebrated sporting excursions into South Africa, the Hartebeest had retreated still further into the interior. But Harris speaks of it as being at that date still met with on the plains beyond the Orange River “in immense herds.” Sir Andrew Smith, who visited the Cape Colonies at about the same epoch, and who has figured the male of this Antelope in his well-known ‘Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa,’ speaks of the occurrence of the Hartebeest far in the interior. He killed specimens himself close to the Tropic of Capricorn, and had heard of its occurrence much further northwards. But, according to his observations,Bubalis caamabegins to get rare as soon as the Sassaby (Damaliscus lunatus) commences to occur. His experience justified him in pronouncing that the former took the place of the latter in all the territory northward of 25° south latitude. Sir Andrew Smith gives the following account of the habits of the Hartebeest:—

“The Hartebeest, by preference, inhabits an open country, and hence is generally observed upon the plains in small herds consisting of from six to ten individuals, and often, where the plains are extensive, many of such groups are to be seen within the range of the eye. It is a very wary animal, and views with strong suspicion the advance of man, so that, unless favoured by special circumstances, he finds it an animal difficult to procure. When disturbed, the herd generally scampers off in the train of some acknowledgedleader, and they are rarely seen when flying, except in a string, one animal upon the heels of another. Their pace is a sort of heavy gallop, and though they do not appear to move with rapidity, yet the ground over which they go in a given time shows that their progressive motion is far from slow. When first they start, they appear extremely awkward, and generate in the observer an impression that to overtake them must be no very difficult task. After they have advanced a little, however, the apparent stiffness in the joints of the hinder extremities disappears, and even the indications of weakness of the hinder limbs become so indistinct, that the pursuer is soon satisfied of the inaccuracy of his first conclusion. This and the Sassaby are the only antelopes of South Africa which exhibit the peculiarity alluded to, and have led many to remark their resemblance in this respect to the Hyænas and Aard Wolf (Proteles lalandii). In all these animals there is a disproportion between the development of the anterior and posterior parts of the body, and each of them appears when in motion as if its hinder extremities were too weak for the duties they are destined to perform.”

We now come to the distribution of the Hartebeest in South Africa in more modern days. Mr. T. E. Buckley, who published some interesting notes on the range of the large Mammals in South Africa in the Zoological Society’s ‘Proceedings’ for 1876 and 1877, tells us that from being one of the commonest animals throughout the Cape Colony it had then become one of the rarest. He observed it only on three or four occasions during his journey into the interior—once just before reaching the Crocodile River, and once or twice in the Colony of Natal. In the south-east he says a few then still remained in the Zulu country, but he could not hear of its occurrence in Swaziland, where its place seemed to be taken by the Sassaby.

In 1881 the renowned hunter, Mr. F. C. Selous, in his “Field Notes on the Antelopes of Central South Africa,” read before the Zoological Society, described the present abode of the Hartebeest as follows:—“The range of this Antelope is very similar to that of the Gemsbuck. It is still found in Griqualand West, in some parts being fairly plentiful. All along the eastern border of the Kalahari desert it is also to be found, and extends as far east as the river Serule on the road from Bamangwato to Tati. In the neighbourhood of the salt-pans lying between the Botletlie river and the road from Bamangwato to the Zambesi it is very plentiful and may be met with in large herds. It does not, however, extend its range to the north of thesesalt-pans, and is unknown in all the country between the Chobe and Mababe rivers, as it is also in the Matabele and Mashuna countries. It is very fleet and enduring, and only second in these particulars to the Tsessebe.”

Our figure of this species was lithographed on the stone by Mr. J. Smit from a sketch made by Joseph Wolf, but we have been unable to ascertain from what exact specimen the sketch was taken.

There is a stuffed example of the Cape Hartebeest in the British Museum, obtained by the late Sir Andrew Smith during his journey to the Cape, probably the individual from which his figure in the ‘Illustrations’ was taken. There are also other specimens in the same collection, including the head of the curious hybrid between this species and the Sassaby (Damaliscus lunatus) described by Mr. Selous in 1893.

The Cape Hartebeest, though occasionally seen in zoological gardens, has never been a common animal in captivity. The Zoological Society of London received a single example in 1851, and a fine male in 1861, presented by Sir George Grey, then Governor of the Cape Colony. In 1869 a pair were obtained by purchase.

In May 1890 the Society acquired a good pair of Hartebeests imported from the Transvaal by the well-known dealer, Mr. C. Reiche, of Alfeld, in Hanover. These are still living in the Regent’s Park Gardens.

May, 1894.

(?)Alcelaphus bubalis,Gray, Ann. Mag. N. H. (3) iv. p. 296 (1859) (Bahr-el-Ghazal).Antilope caama,Schweinfurth,Herz. von Afrika, i. p. 212 (woodcut) (head, ♂), ii. p. 533 (1873) (Niam-Niam);id.op. cit. Engl. transl. ii. p. 509 (1873).“Hartebeest,”Speke, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 3 (no doubtB. cokeiis also referred to).Boselaphus, sp.,Scl.P. Z. S. 1864, p. 103.Acronotus caama,Heugl.Reise N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 123, pl. lower figure (horns) (1877) (White Nile).Alcelaphus caama,Thomson, Masai-land, p. 469 (1885) (Elgeyo).Bubalis jacksoni,Thos.Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) ix. p. 386 (1892) (Kavirondo);Ward, Horn Meas. p. 58, fig. (skull and head) (1892);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 196 (1893);Jackson, Big Game Shooting, i. p. 291.Bubalis caama,Junker, Travels in Afr. iii. p. 172 (1892) (?).Alcelaphus jacksoni,Lugard, E. Africa, i. p. 532, and pl. p. 448 (head) (1893).

(?)Alcelaphus bubalis,Gray, Ann. Mag. N. H. (3) iv. p. 296 (1859) (Bahr-el-Ghazal).

Antilope caama,Schweinfurth,Herz. von Afrika, i. p. 212 (woodcut) (head, ♂), ii. p. 533 (1873) (Niam-Niam);id.op. cit. Engl. transl. ii. p. 509 (1873).

“Hartebeest,”Speke, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 3 (no doubtB. cokeiis also referred to).

Boselaphus, sp.,Scl.P. Z. S. 1864, p. 103.

Acronotus caama,Heugl.Reise N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 123, pl. lower figure (horns) (1877) (White Nile).

Alcelaphus caama,Thomson, Masai-land, p. 469 (1885) (Elgeyo).

Bubalis jacksoni,Thos.Ann. Mag. N. H. (6) ix. p. 386 (1892) (Kavirondo);Ward, Horn Meas. p. 58, fig. (skull and head) (1892);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 196 (1893);Jackson, Big Game Shooting, i. p. 291.

Bubalis caama,Junker, Travels in Afr. iii. p. 172 (1892) (?).

Alcelaphus jacksoni,Lugard, E. Africa, i. p. 532, and pl. p. 448 (head) (1893).

Vernacular Names:—Ssongoroin Niam Niam;Nakibbihin Monbuttu (Schweinfurth);Alwalwongof Djeng, White Nile (Heuglin);Ngaziin Uganda (Lugard).

Similar in most essential characters toB. caama, but the face is entirely without the black blaze always found in that species, being rufous like the rest of the head, and the horns are not so abruptly bent backwards above, the back of the last bend forming an even open curve. The body-colours ofB. jacksoniare, however, not yet accurately known, so that it is possible that other differences will hereafter be found to exist.

Skull: basal length 16 inches, greatest breadth 5·7, orbit to muzzle 12·7; facial length 17·5, breadth of forehead 4·2.

Hab.Interior of British Central Africa, north of Lake Baringo; Uganda; and probably extending northwards to the White Nile, and westwards into North-east Congoland.

This Hartebeest, which is the northern representative ofB. caama, has been most appropriately named after Mr. Frederick John Jackson, F.Z.S., the successful conductor of the expedition of the Imperial British East African Company to Uganda in 1889 and 1890[5], and the discoverer of the species, which, when previously met with, had always been confounded with other members of the genus. It should be recollected that, besides his merits as a geographical explorer, Mr. Jackson is an ardent zoological collector and observer. The splendid series of birds which he obtained during the expedition just spoken of, and which embraced examples of nearly 300 species, has been described by Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe in five papers published in ‘The Ibis’ for 1891 and 1892. Dr. Sharpe’s account of this remarkable collection is rendered still more complete by Mr. Jackson’s excellent field-notes which accompany it. Mr. Jackson has also published some very interesting remarks on the Antelopes of British East Africa in one of the recently issued volumes of the Badminton Library upon ‘Big Game Shooting.’

If we assume, as is probable, that the Hartebeest of the Bahr-el-Ghazal belongs to this species, the first examples of it sent to Europe would be those obtained by Petherick in 1859, which were referred by the late Dr. Gray to the Bubal of North Africa. Of these specimens the only one retained by the British Museum is the skull of a female. Another similar specimen from the Bahr-el-Ghazal was sent to the British Museum in 1884 by the German collector Bohndorff. Heuglin also (Reise N.O.-Afr. ii. p. 123) has spoken of the occurrence, on the Kir and Sobat rivers, of a Hartebeest allied toB. caamaof South Africa. It is quite clear, therefore, that either Jackson’s Hartebeest or a species closely allied to it is found in the White-Nile district, although we must await the arrival of fresh specimens from this country and further information before we can decide exactly what this Hartebeest is.

It is also probable that the “Central African Hartebeest” of Dr. Schweinfurth’s ’Im Herzen von Africa,’ and Junker’s “Bubalis caama,” met with in the Niam-Niam country, on the northern tributaries of the Congo, should both be referred toBubalis jacksoni.

Thomas’s original characters ofBubalis jacksoniwere based on a specimen transmitted by Mr. Jackson to Messrs. Rowland Ward & Co., shot in November 1889 in Northern Kavirondo, which is now in the British Museum.In a note accompanying the specimen, in which he expresses a sagacious doubt as to “its being the same as the South-African animal,” Mr. Jackson adds:—“Up north all along the top of the Elgeyo Escarpment (continuation of Mau) into Turquel to the north and north-east of Mount Elgon it is very common, and takes the place ofB. cokei. Round Baringo it is fairly plentiful, but some marches south of NjempsB. cokeitakes its place.”

Mr. Ernest Gedge, who accompanied Mr. Jackson in his adventurous expedition, has kindly furnished us with the following excellent field-notes on this Antelope:—

“The first specimens of Jackson’s Hartebeest were obtained on the Mau plateau in British East Africa. This plateau extends in a northern and southerly direction through the Masai country, and varies from 8000 to 9000 feet in elevation.

“West of Lake Naivasha the plateau is covered for the most part with dense, almost impenetrable forests, but farther north the scenery becomes more park-like, the forest clumps being intersected with grassy ranches, which open out on to the broad expanse of the Angata Nyuki, the latter extending right up to the eastern boundaries of Kavirondo. The whole of this district is frequented byB. jacksoni, which is also found north of Lake Naivasha in the localities bordering on Lakes Nakuro and Baringo north and west of these points; again, it inhabits the Suk country, Chibchangnani, Turquel, Karamojo, and possibly Turkana; whilst farther west it is common in the district round Mount Elgon, and is generally met with throughout Upper Kavirondo, Usoga, and Uganda, wherever the conditions are favourable.

“I have seldom encounteredB. jacksoniin large herds, though in habits it differs very little from other species of Hartebeest. More frequently it is met with in small groups, in twos and threes, or singly. It would appear to change its locality to a very great extent according to the seasons. Thus, during the dry months of the year it will be found plentifully scattered over the highlands, from whence it retreats to the low country at the approach of the rains. In illustration of this, I would mention that when on my journey to England in 1892, in the month of December, the lowlands at the foot of the escarpment were almost entirely deserted, whilst on the high plateau above I met with these Antelopes in great numbers.

“On my return journey in the month of July of the following year theAngata Nyuki had become very swampy, owing to the heavy rains, and was entirely deserted, save by one or two odd specimens, whereas the district around Lake Nakuro, in the low country, was fairly overrun by these Antelopes.

“When herding together these animals are commonly found (likeB. cokei) in company with Zebras and other Antelopes, and I have frequently come across and shot Topi (Damaliscus jimela) amongst them, the latter being very numerous in the province of Buddu in Uganda.

“Like all Hartebeests,B. jacksoniis, as a rule, very shy and difficult to approach—though, on one occasion, having gone considerably to the south of the ordinary caravan-route across the Angata Nyuki, I not only met with them in great numbers, but they were so little alarmed by my appearance in so unfrequented a locality, that they allowed me to walk right up to them, and even when fired at only ran for a short distance. They do not appear to patronize the bush country likeB. cokei, though they frequent its vicinity.

“I remarked this specially when in Uganda, for on the only occasions on which I encounteredB. jacksonithere it was confined to certain open portions of the country bordering the Nile and a flat open plain of some 10 miles in diameter to the south of the Katonga River in the Buddu district, where I found it accompanied by Topi, Waterbuck, and Kob.

“It also, from all accounts, frequents the open tablelands bordering Unyoro and the Albert Nyanza, as well as the province of Bulamweze in Uganda, which presents somewhat similar characteristics.

“In appearanceB. jacksoniis larger and more strongly built thanB. cokei, and varies in colour from a light golden brown to a dark tawny red, its coat being beautifully fine and glossy. It is easily distinguished by the great length of its head and the peculiar set of its horns, which rise almost perpendicularly from the frontal bones, and curve sharply backwards near the tips at almost a right angle.

“These Antelopes possess great tenacity of life, and I have known one to get clean away though struck with two 577 express bullets. On the other hand, if fairly hit in a vital spot they die very easily. The cows calve in November and December, and, so far as one can judge, give birth to only one at a time. The calves themselves are very hardy and vigorous little animals; and I have known of one, which could not have been born more than a week or so at the most, completely out-distance one of my men who tried to run itdown in the open—and this in spite of the fact that one leg was partially deformed; but this may have been an exceptional instance.

“The Wa-Soga and Wa-Ganda dress the skins of these Antelopes very cleverly, turning them out as soft as wash-leather, and quite equal to anything that can be done in the London market.”

Fig. 5.Front view of head of Jackson’s Hartebeest. 1/7 nat. size.

Fig. 5.

Front view of head of Jackson’s Hartebeest. 1/7 nat. size.

As already pointed out, the horns ofB. jacksonipresent a very general resemblance to those of its southern allyB. caama, and are at once distinguishable from those of the other members of the genus by the extreme elongation of the pedicle. But the horns ofB. jacksoniare not quite soabruptly bent backwards as those ofB. caama, and its head is at once distinguishable from that of the Cape species by the entire absence of black on the face.

No complete specimen of the skin ofB. jacksonihaving as yet been received, we are unable to give a coloured figure of this animal; but the accompanying woodcut (fig. 5, p. 43) represents the typical skull of this species in the British Museum.

There are no other specimens of this Antelope in the National Collection, except the doubtful heads of Petherick and Bohndorff already referred to.

May, 1894.

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES. PL. V.Smit lith.Hanhart imp.Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest.BUBALIS LICHTENSTEINI.Published by R. H. Porter

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES. PL. V.

Smit lith.

Hanhart imp.

Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest.

BUBALIS LICHTENSTEINI.

Published by R. H. Porter

Antilope lichtensteini,Pet.Mitth. Ges. nat. Fr. Dec. 18, 1849;id.Säug. Mossamb. p. 190, pls. xliii. (skull) and xliv. (animal) (1852);Wagn.Schr. Säug. Supp. v. p. 445 (1855);Gieb.Säug. p. 298 (1859).Bubalis lichtensteini,Temm.Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 195 (1853);Ward, Horn Meas. p. 63, fig. (horns) (1892);Nicholls & Egl.Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 46, pl. iv. fig. 14 (head) (1892);Thos.P. Z. S. 1892, p. 533 (Nyasa), 1893, p. 504;Scl.P. Z. S. 1893, p. 506;Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 198 (1893);Barkley, P. Z. S. 1894, p. 132 (Pungwe R.);Jackson, Big Game Shooting, i. p. 290.Alcelaphus lichtensteini,Gerrard, Cat. Bones Mam. B. M. p. 243 (1862);Gray, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 44 (1872);id.Hand-l. Rum. p. 115 (1873);Buckley, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 454 (distribution);Selous, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 763 (distribution);id.Hunter’s Wanderings, p. 224, pl. vii. figs. 3 & 4 (head) (1881);Jent.Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 139 (1887);Crawshay, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 662 (Nyasa);Lyd.Field, lxxvii. p. 858 (1891);Lugard, E. Afr. i. p. 532, pl. p. 440 (head) (1893).Boselaphus lichtensteini,Kirk, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 660 (Shupanga).Alcelaphus caama,Noack, Zool. JB. ii. p. 208 (1887);id.op. cit. vii. p. 593 (1893).Alcelaphus caamaandA. lichtensteini,Noack, JB. Mus. Hamb. ix. p. 11 (1891).Bubalis leucoprymnus,Matsch.SB. nat. Freund. 1892, p. 137 (?).

Bubalis lichtensteini,Temm.Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 195 (1853);Ward, Horn Meas. p. 63, fig. (horns) (1892);Nicholls & Egl.Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 46, pl. iv. fig. 14 (head) (1892);Thos.P. Z. S. 1892, p. 533 (Nyasa), 1893, p. 504;Scl.P. Z. S. 1893, p. 506;Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 198 (1893);Barkley, P. Z. S. 1894, p. 132 (Pungwe R.);Jackson, Big Game Shooting, i. p. 290.

Alcelaphus lichtensteini,Gerrard, Cat. Bones Mam. B. M. p. 243 (1862);Gray, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 44 (1872);id.Hand-l. Rum. p. 115 (1873);Buckley, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 454 (distribution);Selous, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 763 (distribution);id.Hunter’s Wanderings, p. 224, pl. vii. figs. 3 & 4 (head) (1881);Jent.Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 139 (1887);Crawshay, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 662 (Nyasa);Lyd.Field, lxxvii. p. 858 (1891);Lugard, E. Afr. i. p. 532, pl. p. 440 (head) (1893).

Boselaphus lichtensteini,Kirk, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 660 (Shupanga).

Alcelaphus caama,Noack, Zool. JB. ii. p. 208 (1887);id.op. cit. vii. p. 593 (1893).

Alcelaphus caamaandA. lichtensteini,Noack, JB. Mus. Hamb. ix. p. 11 (1891).

Bubalis leucoprymnus,Matsch.SB. nat. Freund. 1892, p. 137 (?).

Vernacular Names:—Konzeof Masubias;Inkulanondoof Mashunas (Selous);Gondoin Tette;Gondongoat Sena and Boror;Vacca de matoof Portuguese (Peters);Nkoziof Ahenga;Kangosaof Awanyakyusa (Crawshay).

Size rather large; height at withers about 48 inches. General colour fulvous, deeper and more rufous along the back. Chin, the usual tail-crest,and the front of the lower part of all four limbs black. Lower part of rump white or pale yellowish, contrasting markedly with the dark rufous of its upper surface. No anteorbital tuft present. Hairs of face reversed upwards from muzzle to horns, except on a median patch, about four inches long, between the eyes, where they slant downwards.

Skull with but little frontal elongation, the elevation bearing the horns much broader and shorter than in the majority of the true Hartebeests; on the other hand, the muzzle is unusually lengthened, so that the total facial length is about equal to that ofB. caama. Basal length 14·7 inches, greatest breadth 7·2, muzzle to orbit 11·5, length of face 17, breadth of forehead 6·1.

Horns comparatively short and thick, curved first outwards, then upwards and inwards, and finally abruptly bent backwards, their terminal portions nearly or quite parallel with each other, and comparatively close together. The largest horns are just 20 inches in length.

Hab.East Africa, north of the Sabi River, throughout Nyasaland and Mozambique to Usagara, opposite Zanzibar.

The late Dr. Wilhelm Peters, a distinguished zoologist, who explored different parts of the Portuguese territory of Mozambique from 1842 to 1848, was the discoverer of this Antelope, which he named after Lichtenstein, his not less celebrated predecessor in the keepership of the Royal Museum of Berlin, and a former well-known authority on this group of mammals. Peters gives as its locality the provinces of Tette, Sena, and Boror, from the 16th to the 18th degree of south latitude; and Sir John Kirk, in his notes on the ‘Mammals of Zambesi,’ published in 1864, says that “it is very common during the dry season in the forest of Shupanga and in Inhamunha, in small herds.” South of the Zambesi Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest appears to extend as far as the Pungue and Sabi Rivers. Messrs. Nicholls and Eglinton tell us that it is plentiful on the eastern course of the Sabi; and Mr. Buckley met with it in the rough grassy plains of the Upper Pungue Valley, in herds sometimes of considerable size. Mr. Buckley always observed these Antelopes on the open veldt, and found that they kept clear of the more hilly and timbered country.

The great hunter, Mr. F. C. Selous, met with this Antelope only on the open downs of the Manica plateau, north of the Zambesi, where it is calledthe “Konze.” He was a little doubtful about its identity with the “Inkulanondo” of South-eastern Mashunaland; but we believe that both the native names last mentioned refer alike toBubalis lichtensteini. Mr. Selous makes the following remarks upon this species (P. Z. S. 1881, p. 764):—

“The Konze very closely resembles the Hartebeest of South Africa; the horns, however, are shorter and flatter at the base, and the forehead is not nearly so elongated. The black mark down the front of the face of the Hartebeest is also wanting in the Konze, where the colour is of a uniform light red. The general colour of the animal is a little lighter than that of the Hartebeest, the tail, knees, and front of all four legs being black. As in the Hartebeest, there is a patch of pale yellow on the rump; and the insides of thighs and belly are also of a very pale yellow. One old bull that I shot was of very rich dark red colour all along the back and the upper part of the sides. About a hand’s breadth behind each shoulder was a patch of dark grey about six inches in diameter. A female that I shot also had these grey patches behind the shoulders. In two other full-grown males these patches were wanting.”

Throughout Nyasaland, so far as it has yet been explored, Lichtenstein’s Antelope appears to be an abundant species; and Mr. R. Crawshay, our principal authority on the Antelopes of this country, tells us (P. Z. S. 1890, p. 663) that it is very generally met with in the hills, if not too steep and rocky, and also in the plains, but appears to prefer a flat or undulating woody district with intervening open glades. Mr. Crawshay adds the following account of his personal experience with this Antelope:—

“In 1883 I first met with this Antelope on the plains between the Kiwira and Insesi Rivers, in Makyusa’s country, at the north-west of the lake; there were just three in the troop, and with the help of another gentleman I was lucky enough to kill one—a nearly full-grown bull. In 1885 I saw several herds of these animals to the south-east of Nyasa, and between it and Lake Shirwa, and from all accounts they must be plentiful in the Yao country, to the east of the lake.

“On the West Coast, later in the same year, I came across a good many on the Kanjamwana River, and between Amuwa and Mpemba’s: here they usually consorted with Impalas; but on the same plains there were also to be seen in their company, from time to time, Water-bucks, Reed-bucks, and occasionally Koodoos and Elands. Inland from Bana to the north again,I was told there were Hartebeests, and I saw some heads of animals said to have been killed there.

“In 1889–90 I repeatedly saw a few in the low red-sandstone hills to the north of Chombi, between Makwawa’s and Afunanchenga’s, on the Hara River; here they generally went in company with Water-bucks or Zebras, and once I noticed three Hartebeests herding and feeding in the midst of some thirty or forty Water-bucks, all cows. Between Nkanga and Karonga’s, on the coast-line, and in all the intervening country between that and the Anyika Mountains, Hartebeests are commonly met with, notably at Vuwa, Mrali, and Taowira. At Nkanga, during my stay there, a cow was killed in a game-pit, and of this animal I secured the horns and frontal bone. As a rule, I have seen Hartebeests in herds numbering from half a dozen or even less to perhaps fifteen or twenty, but I never remember having come across more than that number. This Antelope possesses extraordinary vitality, and in this respect is very little behind the Water-buck.”

Mr. B. L. Sclater, R.E., who has recently passed two years in the Shiré Highlands, and has traversed nearly every part of that district[6], informs us that he considers this Hartebeest to be the commonest of the larger Antelopes there, after the Waterbuck. He met with it in all parts of the country, more frequently in the open districts, but also in the wooded valley of the Shiré, sometimes singly, and at other times in larger or smaller herds. On the Tochila plains under Mount Milanji, at an elevation of about 2000 feet, in November 1891 he saw a large herd of this Antelope mixed with Zebras.

From Nyasaland, so far as we can make out, Lichtenstein’s Antelope extends northwards to the plains of the Wami River opposite Zanzibar, where Sir John Kirk procured specimens, which are now in his collection. In the hills of Usagara, north-east of this district,B. lichtensteiniis replaced byB. cokei, as already mentioned in our article on the latter species. Herr P. Matschie, of Berlin, considers the Hartebeest of German East Africa, which he says extends as far north as the Pangani River, to be different fromB. lichtensteini(although he admits that the horns of the two species very closely resemble each other), and proposes to call itB. leucoprymnus. We are not, however, with due respect to Herr Matschie’s views, yet prepared torecognizeB. leucoprymnusas distinct fromB. lichtensteini, though we fully admit the possibility of being obliged hereafter, by future evidence, to alter our opinion on this point.

Fig. 6a.Skull ofBubalis lichtensteini, ♂.(Brooke.)

Fig. 6a.

Skull ofBubalis lichtensteini, ♂.

(Brooke.)

The main distinguishing feature of Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest is the short and thick basal portion of its horns, which induces us to place it in a section by itself, and which renders it easily recognizable from the seven preceding species of this genus. This character is well shown in the accompanying woodcuts (figs. 6aand 6b). Figure 6a, prepared under the superintendence of Sir Victor Brooke, shows the skull of a male of this species; fig. 6b, p. 50 (which has been kindly lent to us by the Zoological Society of London)represents, as we now believe, the skull of a female, though originally supposed by Mr. Crawshay to belong to a young male.

Fig. 6b.Skull ofBubalis lichtensteini, ♀.(P. Z. S. 1890, p. 662.)

Fig. 6b.

Skull ofBubalis lichtensteini, ♀.

(P. Z. S. 1890, p. 662.)

Our coloured figure of this Antelope (Plate V.) was prepared by Mr. Smit from a male specimen (now in the British Museum) which was shot on the River Sabi by Mr. Selous in July 1885. Besides this, the National Collection contains a stuffed female from the same locality, and a series of skulls and skins from Nyasaland, transmitted by Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., F.Z.S., and other specimens from the Manica plateau (Selous) and Usagara (Kirk).

May, 1894.

Similar in most essential characters toBubalis, but distinguished by the frontals being quite normal, and not drawn upwards and backwards to form a horn-support. As a result the parietal surface of the skull faces upwards instead of backwards, and is easily visible between the horns in a vertical view of the skull.

The horns practically form a single simple or slightly lyrate curve in all the species, exceptD. hunteri, and in this, although there is a double sigmoid curve, no approximation is shown to the peculiarly abrupt double curvature characteristic ofBubalis.

Range of the Genus.Africa south of the Atlas.

As in the previous genus, the species ofDamaliscus, seven in number, may be divided into groups based on the curvature and direction of the horns, as follows:—

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES. PL. VI.Smit Lith.Hanhart imp.Hunter’s AntelopeDAMALISCUS HUNTERI.Published by R. H. Porter

THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES. PL. VI.

Smit Lith.

Hanhart imp.

Hunter’s Antelope

DAMALISCUS HUNTERI.

Published by R. H. Porter

Damalis hunteri,Scl.P. Z. S. 1889, p. 58 (woodcut of head), and p. 372, pl. xlii. (animal) (Tana R.);Hunter, in Willoughby’s E. Africa, p. 290, pl. iv. fig. 6 (head) (1889).Alcelaphus hunteri,Lyd.Field, lxxvii. p. 858, fig. (head) (1891).Alcelaphus (Damalis) hunteri,Flow. & Lyd.Mamm. p. 336 (1891).Bubalis hunteri,Ward, Horn Meas. p. 70, fig. (head) (1892);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 200, fig. 40 (head) (1893).

Damalis hunteri,Scl.P. Z. S. 1889, p. 58 (woodcut of head), and p. 372, pl. xlii. (animal) (Tana R.);Hunter, in Willoughby’s E. Africa, p. 290, pl. iv. fig. 6 (head) (1889).

Alcelaphus hunteri,Lyd.Field, lxxvii. p. 858, fig. (head) (1891).

Alcelaphus (Damalis) hunteri,Flow. & Lyd.Mamm. p. 336 (1891).

Bubalis hunteri,Ward, Horn Meas. p. 70, fig. (head) (1892);Lyd.Horns and Hoofs, p. 200, fig. 40 (head) (1893).

Vernacular Name:—Herolaof Gallas (Hunter).

Size medium, form more delicate and graceful than in most of the other species. Facial hairs wholly reversed upwards from the muzzle to the horns.

Colour uniform rufous, with no darker markings anywhere, on face, chin, or limbs, and the caudal crest even, black in every other species, is here wholly white. On the face, however, there is a well-defined white line passing from one eye to the other across the forehead. Lower part of rump not markedly lighter than upper.

Skull slender and lightly built. Basal length 12·9 inches, greatest breadth 5·2, muzzle to orbit 9·1.

Horns quite different from those of any other species; at their base they start upwards, then curve down and out, then diverge and slant backwards, and finally they curve evenly forwards, so that their terminal halves point directly upwards. In general form, therefore, they present a slight resemblance to those of the Pallah, a very different animal in all other respects. Good male horns attain a length of 20 to 25 inches (largest recorded26¼ inches) measured round the curve, but female horns are in this species but little inferior to male.

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