In his ‘Reisebilder aus Liberia’ Mr. Büttikofer informs us that the Black Duiker, known to the Liberians under the name of the Bush-Goat, is one of the commonest species of the group in that republic. Like all other members of the genus, it is exclusively an inhabitant of the high forests and bushy woods, coming out at night into the savannahs and plantations to get its food. Mr. Büttikofer repeats his statements as regards the unsavoury character of its flesh, and states that even the natives, who are by no means particular, in many cases refuse to eat it.
Besides the immature female obtained by Pel, which forms the type of Cephalophus niger, the National Collection possesses skins of an adult female from Fantee and of a young individual from the Ankober River in Ashantee, both obtained by the native collector Aubinn.
Our coloured figure of the Black Duiker (Plate XIV. fig. 1) was prepared by Mr. Smit under the direction of the late Sir Victor Brooke. It was probably taken from the mounted specimen in the British Museum, but of this we have no certain record.
August, 1895.
THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES, PL. XXI.
Wolf del. Smit lith.
Hanhart imp.
Fig 1. The Blue Duiker.
CEPHALOPHUS MONTICOLA.