THE CAPE DUIKER 



and glided away amongst the boulders. The 

 buck was so badly crippled that I was obliged to 

 kill it. 



A friend kept a number of Duikers in a large 

 enclosure, and they bred quite freely. The males, 

 however, on the approach of the mating season 

 fought fiercely, and attacked the children when they 

 approached the wire mesh of the enclosure. 



When captured young, the Duiker can easily 

 be reared on milk, which it will readily take from a 

 sucking-bottle. They grow up as tame as any 

 domestic dog, and are overflowing with frolic and 

 fun. On reaching adult life they are apt to wander 

 off in search of a mate. At first their excursions 

 are short and their return is regular, but after a time 

 the " call of the veld " is too great for them, and 

 they cease to return. Missing my tame half-grown 

 Duiker one day, I made diligent search for her amidst 

 some adjacent scrub. My terrier dogs presently 

 gave tongue, and on approaching to ascertain the 

 cause found a python at bay. It presently began to 

 heave and ejected a sausage-shaped mass which, 

 on inspection, proved to be my Duiker. 



The Duiker is a solitary antelope, except at the 

 breeding time, when a pair may be seen in company. 

 Several may occasionally be observed browsing 

 together in some favourite locality, but each betakes 

 itself afterwards to its solitary lair. The Duiker 

 breeds all the year round, but most freely during 

 the early spring and summer months. The lambs 



VOL. Ill 33 3 



