SABLE (HIPPOTRAGUS NIGER). 9I 



SABLE (Hippotragus niger). 



Native Names. 



Chinyanja Mpala pala. Chitonga . . Mpala pala. 



Chiyao Balapi. Swahili . . . Balape. 



Chikunda . Kang'ombe ng'ombe. Chiwemba. . Nkanshiria. 



Zulu (Ngoni) . . . Nyambuzi. Chibisa . . . Nkwalandi. 



Food. 

 Grass. 



Bwazi leaves. 



Spoor. 



Slightly bigger than that of hartebeest and smaller than roan. 



The two halves of the hoof spread very much when galloping, more so, perhaps, 

 than any animal except the water - dwelling situtunga and lechwe, but bear no 

 resemblance to these latter, which spread at the toe more than the back part in a V 

 shape. 



The tips of the hoofs are rounder than the hartebeest. 



The spoor of waterbuck is more rounded at the back. 



Habitat. 



Stony hills, like the kudu, and sometimes found at great altitudes, but comes into 

 the dambos often morning and evening, which the kudu hardly ever does. 



Sometimes, especially in a place where they have been at all molested, they will 

 remain up in the hills all day, coming down at night to graze and water on the plains. 



These animals, like the kudu, can go at a great pace along the slopes and up 



steep hills. 



Habits. 



Found in herds of ten to forty, or a single lone male which has been turned out 

 of a herd. 



In the herd there is, as a rule, only one old bull, who is often found grazing a little 

 apart from the remainder. 



The males are blacker than the females, and an old bull looks in the distance 

 entirely black, though when he is killed it may be found that there are short brown 

 hairs under the black. 



The knocking of their horns against trees can sometimes be heard at great 

 distances, as also with kudu. 



