CHAPTER XV 



BUSHBUCKS, SITATUNGAS, KOODOOS, BONGOS, 

 AND ELANDS 



Subfamily Tragelaphinee 



The tragelaphine antelopes of Africa form a compact 

 natural group, comprising the bushbucks, sitatungas, koo- 

 doos, bongos, and elands. They are best defined by their 

 spirally twisted horns, but they also show a singularly close 

 agreement in the color pattern of the head and body. The 

 white transverse body stripes, which are found in all the 

 genera to a greater or less degree, are characteristic of the 

 subfamily. Other white markings which are common to 

 the whole group are the two white spots on the cheeks, the 

 white lips and chin, the white spots above the hoof on the 

 front of the pasterns, the white bars on the inside of the 

 limbs at the axillae and the groins, and the white inner sur- 

 face of the ears. Some other markings which are almost 

 universal are the white patches on the upper throat and on 

 the chest and the white stripe down the inside of the legs. 

 The group has an immense range in size almost equal to that 

 of the family Bovida ranging as it does from the small har- 

 nessed bushbuck to the immense bulk of the elands, the 

 largest of all antelope. The withers are distinctly low in 

 some members, being less in height than the hips. The 

 snout is rather short and without a lachrymal gland. The 

 ears are large and broad owing to the bush-haunting habits 



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