LIVINGSTONES SUNI 



187 



and grass feeders, and when pasturing in the open glades may con- 

 stantly be seen raising their heads and clipping the leaves from various 

 shrubs. Owing to the feeling of security which these silent forest-tracts 

 afford, the lumswi may be seen feeding as late as 9 A.M., and in the 

 afternoons as early as 4 P.M. In cloudy, wet, and cool weather they 

 move about restlessly all day, frequently rising up and lying down 

 again after feeding for half-an-hour. During the heat of the day 

 they lie asleep under any shady bush, or even in open ground 

 under the shade of the larger trees ; but so perfect is their protec- 

 tive colouring, so exactly does it harmonise with the red-brown leaves 

 which strew the ground underfoot, that though I have tried over 

 and over again, sweeping the ground 

 ahead with my field-glasses, I have never 

 been able to detect one lying down. 

 They usually lie very close, jumping 

 up at from 10 to 30 yards, when 

 they bound away with wonderful speed, 

 twisting and dodging amongst the trees, 

 and, being so small, are almost impossible 

 to hit with a rifle. When alarmed during 

 the heat of the day, however, they in- 

 variably stand after running about 100 

 yards, and if the eye has been quick 

 enough to follow them, offer an easy shot ; 

 but if again disturbed, they run much 

 farther before standing. When frightened 

 on their feeding-grounds, they scurry off 

 at a great rate and never stand so long 

 as they think themselves in sight. They 

 have three distinct cries, one of which 

 note, not unlike that of a bushbuck, 

 variably uttered when they scent or hear anything suspicious at a 

 distance. When put up at close quarters, they utter a sharp whistling 

 snort, and at pairing-time the bucks, when chasing the does, utter a 

 low bubbling sound like a goat. The young are born between the 

 middle of November and the middle of December, and are darker than 

 the adults, being deep reddish yellow above, and pale cream, with a 

 faint rufous tint, on the under-parts and insides of the limbs. 



" Extreme watchfulness and caution are necessary in order to bring 

 these antelopes to bag ; and the sportsman must be on the feeding- 

 grounds at least an hour before sunrise, when he can devote his 



Fig. 41.— Skull and Horns of 

 Livingstone's Suni. 



is a sharp, clear, barking 

 but less intense, and in- 



