[We have taken our descriptions of this species from a series of skins, unfortunately for the most part imperfect and without determination of sex, that were brought from Lake Victoria by Herr Oscar Neumann, who has kindly lent them to us. Three of these skins appear to be those of males, while the remainder, four in number, are, judging by their colour, females, or young of doubtful sex. One of the latter has the hoofs very much worn, and must be regarded from this circumstance as adult, although it is very much smaller than the skin of what we suppose to be the adult male.]
Hab. Lakes and swamps of Eastern Africa near Lake Victoria.
The name of John Hanning Speke will ever go down to posterity as that of one of the most enterprising and most successful of African Explorers. Speke, however, was by no means only an Explorer, he was also an ardent lover of Natural History, and during his many expeditions in Africa never failed to bring home such specimens as his rapid mode of travelling would allow him to carry with him. Amongst the discoveries of his celebrated journey of 1859–63 to the Victoria Nyanza was the present Antelope, which he met with in December 1861, when enjoying the hospitality of King Rumanika of Karagweh. The king presented Speke with a living example of a young male of this species, which had been captured in the high rushes at the head of one of the neighbouring Lakes, and also gave him the horns of an adult male specimen. We learn further, from Speke’s ‘Journal,’ that King Rumanika was clad in a wrapper made of the skin of this Antelope, which is said to be much prized by the natives for its excellent quality. For the illustration of his ‘Journal of Discovery,’ published in 1863, Speke had a beautiful woodcut prepared by Wolf from these specimens, which, by the kindness of Messrs. William Blackwood and Sons, we are enabled to reproduce on the present occasion (fig. 108).
Sclater’s original description of this species, published in his report on the Mammal-collection made during Speke’s journey, was based on Speke’s specimens, and contained, besides a coloured illustration of the younger animal by Wolf, a drawing of the horns and feet of the adult, which, by the kind favour of the Zoological Society of London, we are allowed to use again here (see fig. 109, p. 154).
Fig. 108.
Speke’s Sitatunga in a Papyrus-swamp.
(Speke’s ‘Journal of Discovery,’ p. 223.)
Since the days of Speke the Sitatunga of this district has rarely been met with by travellers, as, in addition to its being exceedingly wary and timid, the impenetrable nature of the papyrus-swamps, which are its habitual resort, precludes easy access to its retreats. It is, however, occasionally trapped or speared by the native fishermen, and pairs of the horns thus obtained have occasionally reached Europe. The only recent traveller, so far as we know, that has personally encountered the ‘Nzoe’ in its native wilds is Mr. Ernest Gedge, who has kindly favoured us with the following notes on this subject:—
