WATERBUCKS AND REEDBUCKS 511 



on the other hand did they stay in the belt of thick timber 

 by the river brink. Their country was the strip of land, 

 a couple of miles broad, which fringed this timber belt on 

 either side. Reedbuck were scattered through the same 

 country, and always sought to escape notice by hiding and 

 crouching or sneaking off with bent legs through the tall 

 grass. The kob, on the contrary, did not seek to escape 

 notice. They were always in plain sight, trusting to their 

 senses to warn them of the approach of foes. When they 

 ran they occasionally made big bounds in the air, like 

 impalla. They were fond of using the ant-hills as lookout 

 stations, and it was curious to see a score of them covering 

 the top and sides of a big ant-hill, with all their necks 

 stretched out as they watched. They are grass-eaters. 



The Uganda kob differs from the typical race by its 

 larger size and darker coloration, and from leucotis by the 

 absence of the black coat in the old bucks, and the absence 

 of wholly white ears. The color of the ears of the bucks 

 shows much age variation. In old males of thomasi the 

 ears are sometimes quite white with the exception of the 

 tips, which are always darker, at least never lighter than 

 tawny. From its nearest geographical ally, alurce of the 

 west side of the Nile, it is distinguishable by the much 

 darker dorsal color, which is due to the abundant suffusion 

 of black-tipped hair. The female resembles the male in 

 color, but the ears are tawny like the body, never whitish, 

 and always with seal-brown tips. 



In the adult male the head and body are ochraceous- 

 rufous, overlaid on the rump with black to a slight extent, 

 but lightening on the sides and the limbs to ochraceous-buff. 

 The cheeks are ochraceous-buff and considerably lighter 

 than the forehead and snout. The orbital area is whitish, and 

 most pronounced in front of the eye. The backs of ears are 

 ochraceous-buff and the tips distinctly darker ochraceous- 

 tawny. The base, lower sides, and inside of the ears are 



