892 



THE UNGULATES, OR HOOFED MAMMALS 



Water buck inhabit Southern and Eastern Africa to some distance north of the 

 Zambezi, and they are never found in herds of more than twenty individuals. Mr. 



Selous states that the water buck is most partial to steep, 

 stony hills, and is often found at a distance of more than 

 a mile from the nearest river, for which, however, it 

 always makes when pursued. Though a heavy-looking 

 beast, it can clamber with wonderful speed and sureness 

 of foot up and down the steepest hillsides. In Nyassa- 

 land Mr. Crawshay writes, that water buck are always 

 found in greatest numbers on large swampy plains over- 

 grown with coarse grass, tall reeds, and papyrus, where in 

 the wet season it is almost impossible to get at them; 

 unlike other antelopes, except the reedbuck, they do not 

 appear to leave the lowlands in the rains, but keep to the 

 plains all the year round. The water buck is less difficult 

 to stalk than the rietboc, but its flesh is so coarse and 

 stringy as to be almost uneatable. 



The sing-sing (C. dejassa}, from Western 

 and Central Africa, which stands three feet 

 ten inches at the shoulder, differs from the water buck 

 by its fine and soft hair, and the presence of a continuous 

 whitish patch on the buttocks, which does not rise above 

 the level of the rest of the tail; while there is no white 

 gorget. The horns do not exceed twenty-seven and one- 

 fourth inches in length, or a fraction over. The sUnu (C. leucotis}, from Uganda, 

 is another large species, distinguished by the blackish color of its fur, and the white 

 ears, rings round the eyes, and under parts. The horns are relatively long and 

 thin, reaching from seventeen to nearly twenty inches in length. 



The remaining species are of smaller size, and distinguished by their 

 more reddish or foxy- colored hair. It is probably to one of these 

 smaller species that the species of Cobus found in the Pliocene rocks of Northern In- 

 dia is allied. The West and East Africa sequitun (C. cob] is a much smaller 

 animal than the under-mentioned lichi, and has shorter horns, coming more forward. 

 It has a relatively-shorter tail than the water buck, and is of a general pale reddish- 

 brown color, with white on the inner sides of the ears, the under parts, the inner sur- 

 faces of the limbs, the tip of the tail, and a ring round each fetlock. Good horns 

 vary in length from seventeen to eighteen inches. This is one of the few antelopes 

 that range across Africa, occurring both in Uganda and in Gambia. 



The lichi (C. leche] and the puku (C. vardoni} are two allied species from south 

 Central Africa, both of which were discovered by Livingstone. The puku is 

 about the size of the pala, standing some three feet three inches at the shoul- 

 der; its hair is of a uniform foxy-red color, with the tips of the ears black and 

 black markings down the front of the fore-legs. The horns are rather small, 

 without much forward curvature, and with the rings not extending so high up 

 as in the lichi; their length varying from thirteen to sixteen, and in one instance 



HEAD OF WATER BUCK. 

 (After Selous.) 



Other Species 



