BRITISH EAST AFRICA 227 



tive. Owing to this foreshortening of the horns 

 and the large size of the animal they nearly always 

 look smaller than they really are. Impala are keen 

 fighters, and the clash of their horns may be heard at 

 some distance. I came on two bucks going for each 

 other hammer and tongs one day, near the Tana. 

 The heads east of Nyeri are not so good as those 

 towards Rumuruti and the Guaso-Nyiro, and I had 

 no desire to kill any more, so stood and watched 

 them. They seemed to get their horns interlocked 

 and then shoved for all they were worth. My view 

 was much obstructed by thick bushes, but it certainly 

 seemed to me that one of the bucks was slashing 

 with his sharp little hoof at the other's head, but 

 I have only my own sight to rely on for this state- 

 ment. It is useless to attempt to discover anything 

 about the habits of an animal from a native unless 

 one can talk his language. Unfortunately I could 

 not stop to watch these two so long as I should 

 have liked. I was after other game, which, by the 

 way, successfully eluded me and I had to disturb 

 them. Their sight is extremely good, and they do 

 not take long to make up their minds to go when 

 once they are quite certain that there is danger 

 about. Until thoroughly alarmed they keep potter- 

 ing along just out of range, after their first series 

 of big jumps. 



I only once saw a solitary buck. He had a very 

 fair head but nothing unusual. They frequent 

 country partially covered with bush, and seem to 



