THE GEMSBUCK 



THE GEMSBUCK 



{Oryx gazella) 



Kukama of Bechuana and Makalakas ; Ko of Masarwa Bushmen ; 

 Icowa of Amaxosa ; Kukama of Bechuanas and Bakalahari. 



The Gemsbuck or Gemsbok was formerly common 

 all over the Karoo-veld of the Cape Province, but 

 is now only found in the north-west corner of the 

 province in small numbers. It is still met with 

 on the desert-like plains of Bechuanaland, South- 

 West Africa, and in the Kalahari, where it is still 

 fairly plentiful. North of the Zambesi it extends 

 as far as southern Angola. 



The Gemsbuck is a desert-loving antelope, and 

 is unknown on the fertile eastern side of Africa. 

 They associate in pairs or small family parties, and 

 never in large herds. The late Mr. F. C. Selous 

 mentions having seen as many as fifteen, and Gordon 

 Gumming twenty-five in a troop. This was in 

 districts where they had not been persecuted. 



They inhabit the dry waterless wastes, or open 

 plains dotted with stunted bush ; and even in the 

 early days before the hunter with his firearms 

 appeared, they apparently limited their range to 

 the arid regions of South-West Africa. 



The digestive organs of the Gemsbuck are modified 

 in such a way as to be able to extract sufficient 

 nourishment from parched and scanty vegetation 

 for the needs of the animal. Even in the most 



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