CHAPTER XV 



THE J NT ELOPES 



BY F. C. SELOUS 



Till". TRUE ANTELOPES (including the Gazelles) are 

 strictly confined to the Old World, the Prongbuck 

 of North America differing so much from all other 

 living ruminants, in its horn growth and other particulars, 

 that it is considered to be the sole representative of a distinct 

 family. 



Thk Hartebeests 



With the exception of one species — the Bubal — which is 



found both in North Africa and Arabia, the HARTEBEESTS are 



entirely confined to the African Continent. They are animals 



of large size, standing from 43 to 48 inches at the shoulder, 



^^%t ^■^3 and are characterised by their long, narrow faces, high withers, 



and doubly curved horns, which are present in both sexes. 

 Nine different species of this group are known to exist. 



Although the ranges of these various species of harte- 

 bcest cover the greater part of the African Continent, it is 

 ./ -i 4) noteworthy that each species keeps to its own ground, their 



several ranges but rarely overlapping. 



All the hartebeests have a strong family resemblance, 

 and are very similar in their habits. The}' are never found 

 cither in dense forests or in swamp} - or mountainous country, 

 but are inhabitants of the arid deserts of Northern and 

 South-western Africa, and of the open grassy plains and 

 thinly forested regions of the high plateaux of the interior 

 of that continent. They are extraordinarily fleet and enduring, 

 d h '^' a a and in my own experience I have never heard of one of 



these animals, of whatever species, having been overtaken or 

 ridden to a standstill by a man on horseback. They are very inquisitive, and where they 

 have not been molested will allow any unaccustomed object — such as a European in clothes — 

 to walk to within easy shot of them before running off. They soon gain experience, however; 

 and in countries where they have been most persecuted hartebeests are the keenest-sighted 

 and the most wary of all African game. They are very fond of climbing to the top of the 

 large ant-heaps with which the plains of Africa are profusely studded, and from this point of 

 vantage surveying the surrounding country. They live, I believe, entirely upon grass, and 

 in the desert areas of their range seem able to subsist for long periods without drinking 

 water. Their meat I have always thought very palatable. They are generally in fairly good 

 condition, though they seldom carry much fat. Their fat, after being melted, becomes solid 

 again immediately on cooling, and clogs on the teeth whilst being eaten. But very few African 

 species, except the eland, ever become really fat; their life is too active, and the food-supplv 

 too uncertain, for them to put on flesh like European deer. 



213 



M.ro by Mill E. J. Bui 



BUBALINE HARTEBEEST 



