THE KUDU 



such a large animal when plunging through a forest. 

 This, however, is only apparent, for the male, when 

 dashing through the dense tangled bush, thrusts 

 his nose straight out, and the massive horns lie 

 close along the shoulders, and serve as a protection 

 from the long, sharp thorns with which most of the 

 forest trees are covered. In addition to their 

 wonderful powers of flight through dense bush, 

 they are able to leap obstacles at least 8 feet in 

 height. 



The food of this antelope, like that of its rela- 

 tives the Bushbuck and Inyala, consists of leaves, 

 shoots, berries, wild fruits, and roots and bulbs 

 which it scrapes up. When water is available it 

 drinks regularly, but is able to subsist for con- 

 siderable periods without it. 



The Kudu is exceedingly shy, timid and cautious 

 in its bushy home, but when captured and kindly 

 treated it soon becomes tame and confident. When 

 caught young they can be tamed so effectually that 

 they may be given their liberty and allowed to 

 graze with the cattle. A friend had half-a-dozen 

 which went out into the bush-veld every day with 

 a herd of cattle, and returned with them to the 

 kraal at sundown. 



When wounded and bayed by dogs, the bull Kudu 

 makes a more or less half-hearted fight ; but beyond 

 trying to keep off the dogs with its horns, it makes 

 little or no attempt to inflict injury upon its assail- 

 ants. Even in their seasonable combats for wives 



131 



