WATERBUCKS AND REEDBUCKS 509 



Equatorial Kob 



Adenota kob 



The equatorial kob is characterized chiefly by its black- 

 fronted or striped legs, and by its uniformity in body size 

 and shape of horns. The female is very little inferior in 

 size to the male. In some of the races it shows great indi- 

 vidual and age color differences in the male sex in the color 

 of the ears, which assume a white coloration as age advances. 

 In one race the male often becomes quite a deep brown or 

 black on the upper parts. The color of the female is, how- 

 ever, quite constant in the various races. The nursing 

 young have the general color pattern of their female parent, 

 but are slightly lighter, the dorsal surface and head being 

 ochraceous. They particularly resemble the female in the 

 possession of dark, seal-brown ear tips and in the restricted 

 white orbital area, but the legs are without the dark stripes 

 in front, these being merely indicated by a slight darkening. 

 The light hoof-bands are also but faintly indicated. 



The range includes equatorial Africa from Senegal and 

 the Niger eastward to the Nile Valley and the Victoria 

 Nyanza, and northward to the edge of the Sahara Desert. 



Key to the Races of kob 



Back of ears in male tawny like dorsal coloration or cream-bufF, but 

 always with decided dark tips; female with leg stripes dark 

 seal-brown and without a white preocular stripe on the 

 snout. 

 Size larger; coloration deeper tawny, pelage long; brain case deep; 

 female lined with black on median dorsal surface thomasi 



Size smaller; coloration lighter tawny; brain case shallower; 

 female without black lining on upper parts alurce 



Back of ears in the male wholly white or cream-bufF, the tip only 

 slightly darker if at all; old males usually becoming deep 

 seal-brown or black on dorsal surface, with white ears and 

 orbital area; the female with leg stripes hair-brown, and with 

 a white preocular stripe on the snout. leucotis 



