858 THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS 



the horns of the cows being longer and thinner than those of the bulls. The bulls 

 have a tuft of long dark brown hair covering the forehead; but the color of the rest 

 of the head and body varies from pale fawn to bluish gray; the blue tint being most 

 marked in old individuals more especially bulls, in which, owing to the scanti- 

 ness of the hair, the color of the skin shows through. In the southern part of its 

 range the eland is uniformly colored, but further north there occurs a variety in 

 which the body is marked with vertical white stripes, descending from a dark stripe 

 on the back. The degree of distinctness of these stripes varies greatly in different 

 individuals, and frequently in this variety there is a white stripe across the nose, 

 while there is always a dark patch on the inner side of the knee. Mr. Crawshay 

 states that in Nyassaland, among a single troop, individuals may be seen varying 

 from a light tawny yellow to a slaty blue in very old age, while in some the stripes 

 are clearly defined, in others faintly, and in others again they are not distinguish- 

 able at all. An average-sized bull eland shot by Mr. Selous stood five feet nine 

 inches at the withers, but some specimens are doubtless taller. Mr. Drummond 

 states that the average weight varies from 800 to 1,100 pounds, but that in old bulls 

 it may reach 1,400 or even 1,500 pounds. The average length of the horns may be 

 set down at twenty-five inches for bulls and twenty-six inches for cows; but Mr. 

 Selous has recorded a length of thirty inches in the former and thirty-four inches 

 in the latter. In old bulls the horns may be worn down to less than a foot in 

 length. 



The eland was formerly distributed over all Southern and Eastern 



Africa, but has now disappeared from the Cape Colony, Natal, the 

 Orange Free State, Griqualand West, and the Transvaal. A few years ago these 

 antelopes were, however, abundant in the districts between the Chobe and Zam- 

 bezi rivers, as well as in the country to the north of the latter; while they are still 

 plentiful in parts of Nyassaland, and are not uncommon in the Kilima-Njaro district. 

 Their complete extirpation is, however, probably merely a matter of time; the 

 animal being slaughtered on account of its hide. 



Eland are found both in the desert country, and in wooded districts, 



both hilly and flat. In Nyassaland, Mr. Crawshay says that their 

 favorite haunts are undulating, well-timbered country, where the grass is not too 

 long, and where there are intervening open plains; as a rule, they visit the plains at 

 night or in the early morning to drink, and then wander back long distances to the 

 forest, where they spend the hot hours of the day. In the great Kalahari desert, 

 where they are still common, Mr. Selous states, however, that eland go a long 

 period without drinking any water, except that which they may .obtain by eating 

 watermelons and . other plants. Eland are generally found in large herds, number- 

 ing from fifty to upward of a hundred head, but solitary bulls or small parties of 

 bulls are not unfrequently observed. 



Eland are generally accompanied by "rhinoceros birds," which, in addition to 

 their natural timidity, make them difficult to approach on foot. Consequently they 

 are generally hunted on horseback. The bulls, when fat, can be easily ridden down 

 by a good horse; but the cows have greater speed and staying power. When pur- 

 sued, eland frequently leap high in the air. The calves are born in July and 



