BRINDLED GNU 



137 



have not been much molested, as, for example, some parts of south- 

 east Africa between the Zambesi and Pungwi rivers, many large troops 

 may be seen feeding together upon the plains, so that several hundred 

 head may occasionally be in sight. During the winter the bulls will 

 often be found apart from the cows and younger animals in considerable 

 troops ; and a party of such full-grown bulls, with their heavy Roman- 

 nosed heads and wild, cumbrous, and fantastic appearance, present. 



Fig. 37. — Head of Brindled Gnu showing a rudimentary light chevron. 



when at full gallop, a fine sight. When hotly pursued, the troop 

 usually strings out somewhat, not quite, indeed, into single file, but 

 in a longish line. On open plains, where these wildebeests are often 

 found feeding, even a well-mounted hunter has occasionally a some- 

 what difficult task to bring one of them to bag. With such fleet and 

 enduring animals it is useless to attempt to run them down in a severe 

 tail-on-end chase, in which the hunting-pony is certain to come off worst ; 

 and if it were not for one or two rather stupid habits, it would, indeed, 

 often be a difficult matter to circumvent them. But even on a wide 

 open plain the mounted man can, if the wildebeest have not gained too 



