THE BONTEBOK 275 



The gemsbok, the sable and roan antelopes, the 

 tvildebeests, the bush-bucks, and even the water-buck, 

 all defend themselves vigorously when wounded, and 

 will even charge at times. The formidable horns of 

 these'antelopes (and in the case of the sable and roan 

 antelopes their much greater stature) render them, 

 of course, far more dangerous to approach when in 

 extremity than the bontebok, which is less well 

 provided with weapons of offence. 



At the present time the bontebok, which could be 

 counted sixty years ago by scores upon scores of 

 thousands, has dwindled to one small herd, which has 

 long been preserved on an estate known as Zoetendal's 

 Vley, Swellendam, near Cape Agulhas, in the south 

 of Cape Colony. There are no living specimens in 

 Europe; if, therefore, the enterprising naturalist 

 desires to see the antelope in the flesh he must 

 travel far. The Hon. Walter Rothschild, an ardent 

 collector, has quite recently procured from this troop 

 the complete skin of an excellent specimen, which 

 has been set up and now adds interest to his museum 

 at Tring. The only specimen in the Natural 

 History Museum was, until this year (1897), a very 

 ancient one, dating back to 1830. Mr. F. C. Selous 

 has quite recently been able to remove from the 

 Museum, however, the reproach of only exhibiting 

 an old and inferior specimen of this rare antelope. 

 In 1895 he obtained permission, and shot two or 

 three of the Swellendam bonteboks, a pair of which 



