WILDEBEEST AND HARTEBEEST 363 



black at a distance, the wildebeest is more quickly seen, and 

 at a greater distance than any other game below the rank 

 of the "heavy game," as the Boer hunters call the elephant, 

 rhino, giraffe, and buffalo. Its one object is to keep in such 

 a position that it can itself see its foes; it does not in the 

 least mind being seen by them. It is extraordinarily tough 

 and tenacious of life, paying amazingly small heed to what 

 would seem to be crippling wounds; and it has great speed 

 and endurance. Indeed, it is probably the speediest of East 

 African antelopes in a long run. The cowboys of the Buf- 

 falo Jones party were unable to run one down, although they 

 pursued it the greater part of a day, using relays of fresh 

 ponies on the Loita Plains. 



Wildebeests are usually found in herds of several score 

 individuals, mostly cows and calves, with young animals, 

 and one or more herd bulls; the latter are apt to fight des- 

 perately with one another on the slightest provocation, and 

 if there is one acknowledged master bull in the herd he will 

 occasionally make a dash after one of the others and drive 

 it off at full speed. Often there are outlying sentinels in 

 the neighborhood of a herd. Old bulls go singly or in small 

 parties, either by themselves or in a mixed herd with harte- 

 beests, zebras, and gazelles. When fighting the bulls fre- 

 quently drop on their knees and plunge together, head on, 

 with a resounding crash. The herds feed at all hours — 

 wildebeests are exclusively grazers — but during the hottest 

 part of the day are apt to lie down, when at a little distance 

 they look exactly like American bison at rest on the prairies 

 in the old days. Doubtless they also come to drink at all 

 hours; however, we personally never knew them to go to 

 the water at night, but only in the morning or afternoon; 



