236 ERNEST WAREEN. 



About nine months afterwards she was unfortunately killed 

 by a blesbuck, and on being opened a female foetus of about 

 seven months (the full period being eight months) was found. 

 It was black on its back and sides, but white ventrally, 

 and there was very little hair on it. 



Mr. ^lartens had kept a careful diary of his breeding 

 operations, and it will be of value to place some of the facts 

 on record. 



The enclosure in which the duikers were kept Avas made of 

 200 yards of wire-netting some six feet in height. One side 

 was planted with trees, and the other with grass; and little 

 shelters were erected for protection duiing night, and against 

 violent storms. The animals were provided every evening 

 with a bucket of crushed mealies, of which they were very 

 fond, and also with a large bundle of green herbage, lucerne, 

 etc. In this enclosure there were kept one male and seven 

 female duikers, one female oribi, and one male steenbok. Quite 

 recently a couple of blesbok were included. The male duiker 

 was exceedingly tame, and was often allowed outside the 

 enclosure, and ran about the farm. 



This ram was caught in the Avild in June, 1900, when about 

 two months old, and has always been in good health. The 

 ewe that produced the black young by the above ram was 

 born in April, 1903. The parentage of this ewe is recorded 

 as follows : " The female w^as caught in the wild about eight 

 miles from the farm in May, 1899, when about one week old. 

 She died in 1904. The male was caught in the near vicinity 

 of the farm in September, 1898, when about three months 

 old, and was set free in 1904." We thus see there was 

 apparently no blood-relationship between the parents of the 

 abnormal offspring. 



At the time of the birth of the fifth and sixth offspring, I 

 am informed that there was absolutely no difference in the 

 environment, food, etc., and that other ewes were then 

 producing quite normal young. The parentage was the same 

 in all cases, since there was only one ram in the herd. 



The following table gives a complete list of the offspring : 



