THE BLAAUWBOK 



43 



Thunberg, the Swedish botanist, has attempted 

 to account for the rarity of the blaauwbok by 

 quoting the colonist's belief that the females being 

 careless mothers, the calves were often devoured 

 by wild beasts ; although this can neither be 

 proved or disproved at this time of day, the con- 

 siderable number of field notes and drawings now 

 extant, re the sable and roan antelopes, demonstrate 

 conclusively that at any rate the species nearest 

 allied to the leucophceus are alert and watchful 

 enough. No one could associate carelessness with 

 the sable antelope, since, even when feeding, the 

 old sentinel cows are ever ready at the slightest 

 alarm to stand, suspicious and uneasy, with dilated 

 nostrils and raised fore-foot, while even thechestnut- 

 coloured calves prick their ears like their elders. 

 Neither can one attribute heedlessness and stupidity 

 to the inquisitive roan antelope, of which Sir 

 Samuel Baker says, " in habits of watchfulness it 

 is only equalled by the giraffe." 



The best known haunt of the blaauwbok was 

 the valley of Soete Melk (Sweet Milk), which Sir 

 John Barrow described in 1801 as an extensive 

 tract of land near the town of Swellendam, watered 

 by the Zonder End River, and bounded to the 

 north by a range of hills. The beauty of the 

 district was much enhanced by a considerable 

 amount of forest, and as the Dutch East India 

 Company the owners of the valley reserved to 



