Very little is known of the life history or habits of this antelope. It is said to associate in pairs or small herds, and to be entirely independent of water, though it travels great distances over the desert in the track of thunder-storms for the sake of the young herbage which grows so quickly wherever rain falls in those thirsty regions. It is killed in considerable numbers by the Arabs for the sake of its flesh and hide, and is either stalked or hunted on horseback, with the help of greyhounds, by Europeans.
The last of the sub-families into which modern naturalists have divided the antelopes of the world comprises some of the handsomest species of the whole group, and includes the largest of all antelopes, the Eland, as well as such small and beautifully marked creatures as the Harnessed Bushbucks.
With one exception—the Nilgai—all the members of this sub-family are denizens of the great African Continent.
The Nilgai, or Blue Bull, is an inhabitant of India, and is found throughout the greater portion of the peninsula, from the base of the Himalaya to the south of Mysore. It is an animal of large size, standing about 4 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. In general colour the male is of a dark iron-grey, the female tawny fawn. White spots on the cheeks and just above the hoofs on the fore and hind feet are the outward signs of its affinity to the African harnessed antelopes. The male alone carries horns, which are nearly straight and very small for the size of the animal, rarely exceeding 9 inches in length.
Passing now to the Harnessed Antelopes of Africa, our attention is first claimed by the Bushbucks. Excluding the Inyala and the Broad-horned Antelope, we find several forms of the smaller bushbucks recognised by naturalists: viz. the Harnessed Antelope of the forest regions of Western Africa; the Cape Bushbuck of South Africa; Cumming's Bushbuck of Eastern Africa; and the Decula Bushbuck of Abyssinia. The various forms of bushbuck vary in general colour from very dark brown to various shades of grey-brown, yellow-brown, and rich red. In all species the young are more or less striped and spotted; but whereas in some forms the adult animals lose their stripes and spots almost entirely, in others the adults are more richly marked than immature specimens. For my part, I am inclined to believe that, if large series of bushbuck-skins were collected from every district throughout Africa, it would be found that all the varieties of this animal at present accepted as distinct species would be found to grade into one another in such a way that only one true species could be recognised.
Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild.
GERENUK.
A gazelle-like antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting North-east Africa.
The bushbucks vary in height at the shoulder from 28 inches to 33 inches, and only the males carry horns, which are nearly straight, with a close spiral twist, and measure in adult animals from 10 inches to 18 inches in length.