“I searched for Dibatag at Tur, a jungle due south of the Toyo grass plains, the distance being some eighty miles from Berbera, and was lucky in getting one good buck and picking up two pairs of horns. Although I saw a good many, all were wild and shy. This is their extreme western limit, and they never by any chance, I believe, come so far south as the Gólis Range. Farther east, towards Buró, they are more plentiful and less shy.
“Dibatag are very difficult to see, their purplish-grey colour matching with the high durr grass in the glades where they are found. The glossy coat, shining, reflects the surrounding colours, making it sometimes almost invisible; and at the best of times its slender body is hard to make out. I have often mistaken female Waller’s Gazelles for Dibatag, and once shot one of the former in mistake for the latter. The habits and gait are much the same, save that the Dibatag trots off with head held up, and the long tail held erect over the back nearly meeting the head, while Waller’s Gazelle trots away with its head down and its short tail screwed round. Like Waller’s Gazelle the Dibatag goes singly or in pairs, or small families up to half a dozen.
“As in the case of Waller’s Gazelle, the Dibatag is enabled by its long neck and rather long upper lip to reach down branches of the mimósa bushes from a considerable height. The shape of head and way of feeding of both Antelopes are Giraffe-like, and I have seen both standing on the hind legs, fore-feet planted against the trunk of a tree, when feeding. I have seen Dibatag feeding both on thorn bushes and on the durr grass. Both Waller’s and Clarke’s Antelopes can live far from water. The country most suitable for Dibatag is jungle of the khansa or umbrella mimósa, alternating with glades of durr grass which grows about six feet high. The females are hornless. The Dibatag is a very graceful Antelope, standing higher than an Indian Blackbuck, but weighing probably a good deal less.”
Another well-known explorer of Somaliland, Mr. G. Percy V. Aylmer, kindly sends us the following field-notes on this species:—
“Ammodorcas clarkei, the Debbertag of the Somali, one of the most beautiful and interesting of the rare Antelopes of that country, is, I believe, exceedingly local. From the reports of Messrs. Gillett, Pease, and other travellers, and my own experience, I should roughly describe the range of these Antelopes as contained within North latitude 8° to 9° 30´, and East longitude 44°, to an unknown distance towards the east. Morning and evening (within the above limits) they may be found feeding in the open grass-covered plains which are dotted with small scrubby bushes, patches of tall durr-grass, and immensely tall white-ant hills. During the heat of the day they retire to the shade of some solitary tree, where the dark mouse-colour of their backs makes them particularly hard to pick out. Here they stand motionless throughout the hot hours, apparently drowsy, but in reality alert, and watching the landscape with the keenest eyes for signs of danger from man, or the deadliest of all their enemies—the leopard. In the opinion of the Midgan (the Somāli hunting tribe) these are the wariest of Antelope, and I have always had great difficulty in getting within shot, partly because of the open nature of their feeding-ground, but principally on account of their watchfulness and keenness of vision at unusually great distances. On one occasion, being lucky enough to get within 100 yards of two, and finding them to be a female and calf, I contented myself with watching; and for upwards of half an hour, whilst they fed, not two consecutive mouthfuls were taken without the head being sharply raised and a suspicious glance taken all round. In preference they feed upon the small bushes, their long necks enabling them to reach up to the young shoots, like Waller’s Gazelle, although they appear to choose a less thorny variety. I have met with them occasionally singly, generally in twos or threes, and once only as many as five together. When disturbed they stand rigid, head upraised, ears erect, tail stiffening, and the instant they begin to run the tail (which is unusually long) stands up perpendicularly, presenting, as they gallop away with their springy bounding action, rather the appearance of a yawl’s mizzen-mast in a sea-way. Thus they make a particularly difficult mark for the disgusted stalker, who, exhausted by a long and arduous crawl through the scanty cover, probably gets nothing but the flukiest of snap-shots at the coveted specimen.”
Through the kind intervention of Mr. Pease we have also received some interesting particulars as to a wider range of the “Dibatag” from Lieut. R. Ward Jackson, of the 11th Hussars, who, accompanied by Capt. M. S. Wellby, has recently penetrated far into the eastern interior of the Somaliland peninsula. Mr. Jackson writes as follows:—
“In my journey I first saw Dibatag between Bair and Kirrit. They appear to be scattered all over the country between Bair and Hodayu, and I found them most plentiful about 25 miles from Kirrit. There Wellby shot three and wounded a fourth in one day, but, as a rule, I saw two or three each day in a march of about 20 miles.
“Travelling eastward from Hodayu they gradually appeared to grow less plentiful, and the last record I have of having seen one was about 150 miles from Hodayu. After this I saw no more until between Dagha Dalola and Mudug, about 130 miles from the former, in the Mijourten country. Here I was surprised to find them again very plentiful for three days, and I saw a few on the following three days, after which they again ceased. A week afterwards I found them again plentiful in the Marehan country, gradually diminishing in numbers as we travelled south; the last I saw was about 40 miles before we struck the Webbe Shebeyli. On the homeward journey I came across an odd pair now and then in the south of the Ogaden country. I have marked very roughly (see map, fig. 84) the belts within which I found them most plentiful. I do not remember having seen more than eight together. In the Mijourten and Marehan country I have found them quite close to Barao, and most plentiful in country where there was very good grazing of ‘gillop,’ ‘jalaalo,’ and a fine feathery grass. The country between Bair and Hodayu resembled the Haud. As regards the description of the Dibatag, I can add nothing to that contained in Swayne’s ‘Seventeen Trips in Somaliland.’”
Fig. 84.