I 1 



6 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



Bush Bucks, the Marsh Bucks may be distinguished by the very 

 long hoofs, "and in the fact of the back of the pasterns being bare 

 and horny." This enables the Marsh Buck to inhabit marshes, 

 an unusual environment in which to find an Antelope. 



Swamps and marshy surroundings are the favourite haunts of 

 these beasts. They are fond of immersing the body in water 

 although, as Mr. Finn points out, they are waders rather than 

 swimmers. It has been recorded, however, that they can dive and 

 even sleep under the water, the nostrils only being exposed. 



The Sitatunga stands about three and a half feet high in the 

 male, and in the swamps of Central, South Central and East Africa 

 makes its home. They go about in pairs in a similar way to their 

 relatives. They are uniform greyish-brown in colour, the hair is 

 long and silky, the horns are smooth, slender and strongly ridged, 

 and the young are faintly striped and spotted. The markings on the 

 Congo Marsh Buck are sufficiently indicated in Figs. 88 and 89. 



SING SING WATER BUCK— This animal (Fig. 90) belongs to a 

 different genus from the Marsh Bucks but, like them, is an aquatic 

 beast found in Western and Central Africa. Unlike the species 

 last under review, however, the Water Bucks move about in small 

 herds; they inhabit precipitous hills, are wonderfully sure-footed for 

 such heavy-looking Antelopes, and although on occasions found 

 some distance from water they invariably make for it when harassed. 



The Sing Sing stands something over three and a half feet 

 at the shoulder, and may be distinguished from the Water Buck 

 (Cobus ellipsiprymnus) by the less coarse hair, the presence of 

 a whitish patch on the buttocks, and the absence of a white gorget. 

 The horns measure a little over two feet, and the general appearance 

 of these may be seen in Fig. 90. 



There are several other species of Water Bucks from the large 

 C. ellipsiprymnus, which stands over four feet at the withers, to 

 the Puku, the Lichi and the still smaller West and East African 

 ^Equitum. To one of these smaller kinds, Mr. Lydekker points 

 out, the species of Cobus found in the Pliocene rocks of Northern 

 India is probably allied. 



SPRINGBOK.— This active little South African animal (Fig. 91) 

 is another member of the Antelope family worthy of mention. It 

 has acquired its name by reason of its habit of leaping several feet 

 in the air when it is engaged in running at top speed. It was 

 formerly distributed over a wider area than it now obtains, the chief 



