340 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



of the oryx along the Northern Guaso Nyiro were new-born. 

 Old bulls were sometimes found alone, or associating with 

 zebra herds ; sometimes a couple of the old fellows would be 

 found together, each doubtless turned out of his own herd by 

 some vigorous master bull; and sometimes three or four 

 young bulls would be found together, waiting until weight of 

 body and length of horn might give them a chance each to 

 master a herd for himself. The master bull keeps the rest 

 of the herd in awe. Once we saw a bull, which had been 

 shot at, gallop off several hundred yards with his herd, and 

 then when the herd stopped, bawl or grunt loudly, and 

 chase round two or three of his family in succession. Ex- 

 cept on this occasion, we never heard an oryx make a 

 noise, save for a kind of sneeze uttered by one animal 

 when it saw us a hundred and fifty yards or so distant. 



The oryx are grazers, but we saw one browsing. Al- 

 though they can go for long periods without water, they 

 drink every day or so when it is accessible. We found a 

 herd watering at a bend in a stream at about noon, and an- 

 other coming to the river to water rather late in the after- 

 noon; and at water-holes in the desert oryx came to drink 

 in the moonlight. In the heat of the day the herds some- 

 times feed, but are more apt to rest, either standing or 

 lying; usually we found them resting under thin thorn-trees, 

 but once or twice in cover that was fairly thick. Usually 

 the herds we saw in the early morning and late afternoon 

 were feeding, sometimes alone, sometimes in herds with one 

 or the other species of zebra, once with a couple of water- 

 buck, once with some of the big gazelles. When either 

 resting or feeding, the long tail is continuously switching; 

 and this, even more than the vivid black and white mark- 



