416 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



plied to this criticism by naming two more races from this 

 very spot, representing the two extremes of horn shape to 

 be found in the herd. He cheerfully agreed with Colonel 

 Roosevelt that the horn variations he mentioned actually 

 existed in this herd, but justified the naming of the two addi- 

 tional races under the assumption that two distinct forms 

 met at this place and associated together. We, however, 

 contend that the variations in structure shown by individual 

 members of a race or species associated together or occupy- 

 ing the same territory must be taken as representing the 

 individual variation in that form. It would indeed lead 

 to great confusion in systematic zoology if the racial char- 

 acters assigned by the describers were not to be subject 

 to the test of individual variation as shown by geographi- 

 cally associated individuals. In fact, there is no other 

 practical way of determining the individual variation of a 

 race. 



The East African buffalo differs from the typical race of 

 South Africa by the smooth or flat character of the palm of 

 the horn base and the larger average size of the horns in 

 the bull. The horn bases in the South African races are 

 rugose and roughened by ridges. There is, however, no dif- 

 ference in body size, in coloration, or in the condition of the 

 hair covering between the equatorial race and the southern. 

 Both sexes are uniformly black throughout their pelage, 

 and the horns and hoofs are also blackish. The hair is 

 coarse, of fair length, and usually so scanty that the dark- 

 brownish color of the skin shows everywhere and adds 

 largely to the color effect of the animal. The tail is fur- 

 nished with a long tuft of black hair, as in domestic cattle, 

 and the broad ears are margined by an irregular fringe of 

 rather long hair. The nursing young are lighter than their 

 parents, being a uniform dark-rufous color. The horns of 

 the female are much smaller than those of the male and 

 are quite different in shape, curving downward only as far 

 as the level of the condyles of the skull. 



The largest-bodied bull in the National Museum was 

 shot by Colonel Roosevelt at Kamiti Farm. The flesh 

 measurements of this specimen were: head and body along 

 contour of back, io8 inches; tail, SSH inches; hind foot, 

 25>^ inches; ear, 11)4 inches. The skull of this individual 



