28 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



lake region and the territory extending northward and east 

 of the Nile. To this area are confined the common eland, 

 the quagga zebra, the Cape buffalo, and the klipspringer. 

 Uganda proper is to a large extent dominated by an 

 extensive growth of tall cane grass which forms suitable 

 cover only for buffalo and elephant. Northward, however, 

 and on the eastern or Mau drainage of the lake the open 

 plains and bush country support much game. 



North of the Uganda region we meet with a drier and 

 lower region, the Bahr-el-Jebel Nile. In character this 

 region resembles the Soudan of which it is a part. It con- 

 sists of level grassy steppes interspersed with thorn trees 

 and bush and subject to a distinct wet and dry season. 

 The Nile in this region proves a very important faunal 

 barrier to much of the big game. To the region west of 

 the Nile which may be known as the Bahr el Ghazal dis- 

 trict we find limited the white rhinoceros, the giant eland, 

 the Congo giraffe, and the typical lelwel hartebeest. The 

 region east of the Nile or the Uganda Soudan has an even 

 larger number of species confined to it or rather prevented 

 by the Nile from entering the Bahr el Ghazal. Such species 

 have reached it recently from the southeast. The most 

 important of these recent arrivals are the black rhinoceros, 

 quagga zebra, common eland, Uganda giraffe, Roosevelt 

 hartebeest, and red-fronted gazelle. The Abyssinian buf- 

 falo, Nile oribi, roan antelope, Thomas kob, and Nile bush- 

 buck are common to both sides of the Nile. 



Besides the regional distribution of animals into areas 

 limited by various physical barriers, we encounter within 

 the zoogeographical areas a zonal distribution which is 

 based on climatic and floral factors and is quite independ- 



