NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



had brought a ram to the rescue, and a terrible 

 battle was fought. It was apparent the great 

 snake had gripped the antelope's leg with its jaws, 

 and eventually succeeded in strangling its foe by- 

 throwing one or more coils around its neck, and 

 applying its powers of constriction, which in so 

 large a snake are immense. The fawn was nowhere 

 to be seen, but the spoor which I traced for a 

 short distance indicated the intended victim had 

 got away on three legs, and that it was otherwise 

 badly hurt. 



In situations where the Bushbucks are not 

 molested, the observer, if he is well concealed, 

 may see two or three ewes, perhaps with fawns, come 

 timidly out of the forest during the late afternoon 

 before sundown. After the sun dips down behind 

 the distant hills, a cautious old ram will usually 

 make his appearance. He evidently waits for his 

 wives to ascertain if the coast is clear before ventur- 

 ing forth into the open. These antelopes rely more 

 on their senses of smell and hearing than on 

 sight. On the slightest suspicion of danger, the 

 ewes with a loud warning bark dash back into the 

 forest. 



Bushbucks are still fairly plentiful in most of the 

 bush country of South Africa, owing chiefly to a 

 close season being observed, and to farmers preserv- 

 ing them on their farms, and thus preventing the 

 natives from trapping and hunting them down, 

 which they do in and out of season on Government 



ii8 



