Female similar, but hornless; teats 4.
Hab. South Africa, from the Limpopo northwards, and along the coast through Nyasaland to German and British East Africa and to the Shebeyli River in Somaliland.
The Waterbuck, which is readily known from all the allied Antelopes by the white ribbon which passes over the rump and is carried down to the thighs on both sides, has, as we shall presently show, an extensive distribution in Africa, but was first described from a specimen obtained in the interior of South Africa. One of the early African travellers—Steedman—met with it in 1832 “about 25 days’ journey north of the Orange River between Latakoo and the western coast.” This somewhat vague locality, which was given by Ogilby when he described Steedman’s specimen before the Zoological Society in March 1833, probably indicates some part of Damaraland.
In 1840 Sir Cornwallis Harris figured this species—not, we must allow, very accurately—in his great work on the ‘Game and Wild Animals of South Africa.’ Although not found within the limits of Cape-land proper, the Waterbuck, Harris tells us, abounded in his days on the margins of the willow-grown Limpopo and its tributaries, in the “rippling waters of which it delights to lave its grizzled sides, immersing itself up to the chin during the heat of the day and rolling in its favourite soiling-pool for hours together.”
Sir Andrew Smith, who visited South Africa about the same period, likewise figures both sexes of this Antelope in his ‘Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa,’ and not perhaps in a more satisfactory manner. He gives, however, a good description of both sexes of the Waterbuck and of its internal anatomy, together with an account of its habits, from which we extract the following particulars:—“This animal, which has, from the time it first became known to the Cape colonists, been designated by them under the name of ‘The Water Bok,’ was not seen by our party till after we had passed to the northward of Kurrichane; and, if we are to trust the evidence of the natives, it is never met with to the southward of the high lands which extend to the eastward of the locality mentioned. To the northward, however, it is a common animal, and is generally found associated in small herds of from eight to ten individuals, near the margins of streams. We were struck from the first with the small proportion of males in these herds, and on remarking upon the circumstance to the aborigines, they gave their testimony in support of the accuracy of our observations. Rarely, in a herd of twelve, were there more than two or three males, and of these seldom more than one which might be regarded as mature. The natives were of opinion that the sexes were produced in about that proportion, and even made use of the assumed fact in support of the propriety of polygamy as it exists among uncivilized men, asserting that a like disproportion occurred in the human species.
“When Cobus ellipsiprymnus is feeding it has the appearance of being a clumsy and unprepossessing animal; but, on the contrary, when excited, it is elegant and stately. At such times it holds its head high, and assumes a lively and spirited position. Its pace is a gallop, and generally all the individuals of the herd rush off at the same time, each making the best of its way without endeavouring, as some other of the Antelopes do, to follow in the train of a leader. When disturbed they generally fly from the places where they are discovered towards the higher grounds of the neighbourhood, and if unable to reach them, without passing through water, they manifest neither fear nor disinclination to plunge into the stream—hence the origin of the name by which they are designated by the colonist. Their flesh is in little repute, even with the aborigines, though it is not quite rejected; the dislike to it arises from its being of a hard and stringy texture, and from exhaling a strong urinous odour.”
As regards the present distribution of the Waterbuck in South Africa, we learn from Messrs. Nicolls and Eglington that this stately Antelope is now only rarely met with in some of the unfrequented districts on the northern confines of the Transvaal in the neighbourhood of the Crocodile River and in the low country towards Delagoa Bay. On the coast-lands between the Crocodile River and the Zambesi, as also along the Zambesi itself, and in most of the streams of northern Matabeleland, these authors tell us it is still plentiful. In the low country to the north of Delagoa Bay traversed by Mr. F. V. Kirby, F.Z.S., the Waterbuck, as he informs us in his ‘Haunts of Wild Game,’ is perhaps the commonest Antelope. “It is there everywhere met with along the banks of rivers and streams, and in and about rough stony kopjes near to water, in considerable troops, sometimes as many as forty running together.” Mr. Selous, in his “Notes on African Antelopes,” published in the Zoological Society’s ‘Proceedings’ for 1881, tells us that at that date the Waterbuck was still found on the Upper Limpopo and its tributaries, and on the Zambesi and on all its affluents eastwards of the Victoria Falls was very plentiful. Mr. Selous states that it is most partial to steep stony hills, and is often found at a distance of more than a mile from the nearest river, to which, however, it always makes when pursued. “Though a heavy-looking beast it can clamber with wonderful speed and sureness of foot up and down the steepest hillsides.”
In some notes on the Antelopes of the Transvaal, kindly furnished to us by Mr. H. M. Barber, the Waterbuck is spoken of as follows:—“This Antelope is perhaps the most common of all, being widely dispersed over the whole of Eastern Africa. At Beira and up the Pungwe River they are indeed plentiful, and are to be seen in large droves, often sixty and a hundred together. From the month of March till August the old bulls are usually separated from the cows, and I have seen as many as fifteen in a troop, yet single bulls are also very frequently found. These creatures all resort to the reeds and rushes and marshes at night to feed, and are very easily shot at daylight when thus occupied. Shortly after sunrise they usually stray away from the river to higher ground, where a clear view can be got all round so as to see any approaching enemy.
“It is not uncommon to find single bulls hidden in thickets either on the river banks or some distance away. When thus hidden they will often allow one to approach to within a few yards before breaking cover. If not much frightened they mostly trot away, and as a rule do not go very far before stopping, thus giving the hunter a chance of approaching them again. The Beira Waterbuck has by no means such large horns as those further down the coast on the Olifants River, near Delagoa Bay, and their horns have the peculiarity of being more upright and closer together.
“From the habits of these creatures they fall an easy prey to lions and leopards, who seem to live principally upon them. Their flesh is very coarse and stringy, and is only eaten by the hunter when nothing better can be got.”