136 NATURAL HISTORY ESSAYS 



his delineation of the sable at home amid "the bonny 

 mountains of Cashan." Scene, a rocky valley 

 sparsely clothed with vegetation. Far in the dis- 

 tance rise the heiofhts of the Mao'aliesbero', dim blue 

 in the ethereal distance, as if viewed in the haze of 

 early dawn. A herd of swaying elephants, rust- red 

 from their mud bath, leisurely descend from a rocky 

 ledge, browsing as they go; one big fellow loiters 

 to rifle the branches of a parasol-topped acacia. 

 Prominent in the foreground stands a sable bull, 

 sturdy yet beautiful, his noble horns sweeping over 

 his withers in a bold curve and his diminutive fore- 

 feet solidly planted on the hard red earth; in the 

 distance is seen a cow of the same species, walking 

 slowly towards the higher ground, as if about to scale 

 the rocky slope. So excellently is the scene por- 

 trayed, that one seems transported to the very spot, 

 expecting every moment to hear the crack of the 

 hunter's rifle. 



The spirited writings and clever sketches of Harris 

 soon attracted other sportsmen to South Africa. 

 Hot on his heels if not actually contemporary with 

 him, came Adulphe Delegorgue, a French hunter- 

 naturalist, many of whose trophies now adorn the 

 Paris Museum. He obtained the ''antilope noir' 

 only after considerable and protracted search, and 

 valued it almost if not quite as much as Harris. 

 So greatly indeed was the sable esteemed, that Tom, 

 one of Delegorgue's servants, having at last obtained 



