556 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



cool country; and we also found another form, closely re- 

 lated to the first, abundant in the hot plains on both sides of 

 the upper White Nile. The two habitats of these two va- 

 rieties of the same species were very unlike; the Lado plains 

 were physically and climatically more like the parts of East 

 Africa from which the oribi is absent; perhaps some un- 

 detected peculiarity in the flora conditioned this broken dis- 

 tribution, which otherwise seems unaccountable. However, 

 oribi are everywhere locally distributed. They live without 

 water in some places, at least at Maji ya Chumvi, for in- 

 stance, and in the coast desert strip. They resort to spots 

 of bare earth for dunging. These patches of dung every- 

 where characterize their haunts. 



The oribi is normally a skulking, cover-haunting, high 

 grass and bush loving antelope, like the duiker, steinbok, 

 and even reedbuck; and we often found it in the same patch 

 of cover with both duiker and reedbuck, and behaving in 

 exactly the same way. But, unlike all three, it also, when 

 the long grass is burnt, wanders freely over the open plains 

 and under these circumstances behaves precisely like a 

 gazelle. The reedbuck is too big to hide when on plains 

 of this kind, and rarely ventures out on them, away from 

 cover. The steinbok and even the duiker venture on 

 them, but when alarmed take advantage of the first patch 

 of scanty cover and crouch. But the oribi, when out on 

 such plains, never hides, never seeks cover, is always alert 

 and on the watch, and trusts to its sharp senses, wariness, 

 and speed for safety. In these respects, when on the plains, 

 they behave exactly like Tommies, and, like Tommies, are 

 often found in parties of ten or a dozen individuals ; but such 

 a party does not form a true herd, and when alarmed tends 



