134 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



inches in height, and is in length about five feet. 

 The body is light and slender, the ears are long 

 and pointed, head smallish, while the horns are 

 straight, thin, and pointed, about nine inches long, and 

 annulated at the base ; the belly is white, or nearly 

 so. The female of this species is lacking in horns, 

 and is smaller than the male. The most peculiar 

 feature of this antelope lies in its coat, which differs 

 essentially from every other South African antelope, 

 and consists of a thick woolly fur, approaching very 

 closely to the texture of that of the rabbit, but softer, 

 finer, and longer ; the venison, although inferior to 

 springbok and some of the larger antelopes, is by no 

 means despicable, but it has the fault, common 

 to much South African game, of being somewhat 

 dry. Although as regards beauty this antelope may 

 not be compared with many of its congeners, it has 

 its good points ; when extended, it is a most 

 beautiful mover, and the nature of its habitat and its 

 shy habits will always render it worthy of the 

 sportsman's skill. I believe I am correct in stating 

 that there is no specimen of the rhebok in our 

 Zoological Gardens, nor am I aware that any 

 specimen has ever been shown alive in this country. 

 I do not think the vaal rhebok runs in troops of more 

 than eight or ten at the outside. I think eight was 

 the largest number I ever saw together ; oftener from 

 four to six were seen. The spot where we rested, 

 high up among these rude hills, was indeed desolate. 

 The foot of man but seldom treads these remote 

 regions ; a hunter now and again, or a few farmers, 

 perhaps once in a dozen or even twenty years, 

 beaconing off their boundaries, are the only human 

 beings likely to disturb the repose that reigns so fitly 



