COMMON REEDBUCK 201 



of a completely bare or very short-haired patch on each side of 

 the head immediately beneath the ear. The tail, too, is more 

 bushy and shorter, the lateral hoofs are relatively smaller, and the 

 horns, which are of medium length and stoutness, curve regularly 

 upwards, and in some cases also forwards. Till very late in life 

 the basal portion of the horns is of a pasty consistence. The 

 present species, the true reitbok of the Boers, is the largest of 

 the genus, standing about 36 or 37 inches at the shoulder ; and has the 

 ear-patch completely bare, and the horns inclining markedly forwards. 

 They are generally met with in small family parties, and when 

 excited or alarmed utter a characteristic shrill whistle. As their flesh 

 is of fair quality, and their shooting by no means difficult, they 

 are much sought after by sportsmen. 



Distribution. South Africa, extending as far north as Angola on the 

 west, and to Mozambique on the east coast Although formerly 

 numerous in the eastern districts of Cape Colony and Natal, 

 reedbuck have now become scarce in South Africa, and it is not till 

 Khama's country is reached that they are met with in any numbers. 

 As their name implies, reedbuck frequent the reed-brakes fringing so 

 many African rivers ; and some of the rivers where they are still 

 fairly abundant are the Lotsani in Bamangwato and those of Ngami- 

 land and the country between Mashonaland and the east coast. 



0r SSE X i~*y. <*. 



*-i& ... ... South Africa . . . F. Vaughan Kirby. 



-174 64 174 Barotsiland . . . Percy C. Reid. 



-164 ... ... British Central Africa . G. Le H. K. B. Ritchie. 



-i6f 6J 194 Mpimbi, B.C.A. . . Major F. Trollope. 



i6J 6 i6| Matabililand . . . R. C. Batley. 



-i6 64 10 ? Julius Jeppe. 



-16 54 114 South Africa . . . A. Ohlsson. 



16 7^ 94 Barotsiland . . . Col. C. Harding. 



I Si 6J ioj ? C. D. Rudd. 



15! 6J 14^ ? British Museum. 



-15$ 6g loj Zululand . . . . F. R. N. Findlay. 



1 This was seen and measured by Mr. Kirby. It had one horn only ; the other was shot off. 



P 



