244 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



ther north, In the equatorial highlands, this race is replaced 

 by a large-bodied form, velox, with more black spots and 

 darker coloration. The arid regions of the White Nile and 

 Lake Chad are occupied by a small-spotted, light-colored 

 race, scemmeringii, which shows a decided pinkish tone to 

 the coloration. The lower altitudes of East Africa and 

 Somaliland support a similarly pinkish-buff animal, but in 

 this race, raineyi, the spots are much larger and cover an 

 area fully as great as the ground-color. 



The cheetah is fairly common in East Africa. It is 

 diurnal and is found on the bare plains; therefore, it is much 

 more often seen than the leopard where both are equally 

 abundant. It has been suggested that the lion has lost his 

 spots because he grew to frequent open country where he 

 no longer needed them, as do the spotted cats which dwell 

 in the jungle. Unfortunately for this theory, the cheetah, 

 a much more specialized cat than the lion, dwells even more 

 in the open, and nevertheless is spotted, while the mono- 

 colored cougar, a beast of the woodland, is as difficult to see 

 there as any spotted cat. The cheetah lies up in clumps of 

 bush or tall grass, and roams over the plains after its prey. 

 In the sunlight, at a little distance, the spots cease to show, 

 and its color seems like that of a lioness. 



The cheetah is far less ferocious and formidable than the 

 leopard. It ordinarily preys on the smaller antelopes, such 

 as gazelles, steinboks, and oribis, up to animals the size 

 of a half-grown hartebeest; yet there are well-authenticated 

 instances of its killing koodoo and waterbuck. It kills its 

 game in fair chase, for it is the fastest animal on earth for a 

 quarter of a mile, or perhaps half a mile. It stalks up to 

 within a hundred yards or so, and then gallops into the 

 fleeing quarry. But it is winded by any long run. If it is 



