182 HUNTING IN THE SOTIK [c h. viii 



look very dark in most lights, only less dark than the 

 wildebeest, and so are also conspicuous. The harte- 

 beest change from a deep brown to a hght foxy red, 

 according to the w^ay they stand toward the sun ; and 

 when a herd was feeding away from us, their white 

 sterns showed when a very long way off. The zebra's 

 stripes cease to be visible after he is three hundred 

 yards off, but in many lights he glistens white in the 

 far distance, and is then very conspicuous. On this day 

 I came across a mixed herd of zebra and eland in thin 

 bush, and when still a long way off the zebras caught 

 the eye, while their larger companions were as yet 

 hardly to be made out without field-glasses. The 

 gazelles usually show as sandy-coloured, and are there- 

 fore rather less conspicuous than the others when still ; 

 but they are constantly in motion, and in some lights 

 show up as almost white. When they are far ofi' the 

 sun-rays may make any of these animals look very dark 

 or very light. In fact, all of them are conspicuous at 

 long distances, and none of them make any effort to 

 escape observation, as do certain kinds that haunt dense 

 bush and forest. But constant allowance must be made 

 for the wide variations amone* individuals. Ordinarily 

 tonnnies are the tamest of the game, with the big 

 gazelle and the zebra next ; but no two herds will 

 behave alike. I have seen a wildebeest bull look at 

 me motionless within a hundred and fifty yards, while 

 the zebras, tommies, and big gazelles which were his 

 companions fled in panic ; and I left him still standing, 

 as I walked after the gazelles, to kill a buck for the 

 table. The game is usually sensitive to getting the 

 hunter's wind ; but on these plains I have again and 

 again seen game stand looking at us within fairly close 

 range to leeward, and yet on the same day seen the 



