624 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



We came across two species and several races of dik- 

 diks. In these tiny animals the sexes are of almost equal 

 size, the female being, if anything, slightly larger. The 

 little creatures live in thick cover, and run under the 

 branches like a civet or a mongoose. The voice is a bird- 

 like whistle or chirp. They are always found singly or in 

 pairs, or in pairs with one young one, and are shy, timid, 

 and alert. They browse, graze, and eat roots; one was 

 seen digging grass tubers at lo a.m. in the bright sunlight 

 in the desert region of the Northern Guaso Nyiro. They go 

 entirely without water; at least we found them in thickets 

 which apparently they never left and which were miles 

 from any water. In the desert they never came to water; 

 it is possible that some of those in the highlands drink at 

 pools. We thought we found signs that this was so. 



The tiny dikdik has one habit which it shares with the 

 huge rhinoceros. It tends to deposit its dung in one place; 

 at any rate, we found dung heaps which had evidently been 

 resorted to for many weeks by one or two of the little crea- 

 tures. On account of its habits and of the dense bush in 

 which it dwells, it is rarely seen. The stomach of a spec- 

 imen killed at the Northern Guaso Nyiro contained the 

 leaves of two bushes, Strychnos and Sahadora, the latter 

 the tooth-brush bush of the Somalis. Another specimen col- 

 lected at Naivasha contained the leaves and parts of the hard 

 yellow berries of a nightshade, Solanum campylacanthum. 



Key to the Species of Rhynchotragus 



Proboscis large and expanded; premaxillae short, only reaching half- 

 way to nasals; nasals very short, only reaching as 

 far as front of last upper premolar; belly white 

 without fulvous margin on sides guentheri 



