n8 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



antelopes, suffice to turn the troop, and if the leader 

 be wounded and turned out, the rest of the troop 

 often become confused, run hither and thither, and 

 offer fair shots. It is to be remembered that the 

 Tsesseby is astonishingly tenacious of life, and will 

 carry away a vast amount of lead unless well hit. 

 Any rifle of from .256 to .450 bore will suffice to 

 account for this antelope. The Tsesseby 's range may 

 be described nowadays as South-East Africa, in- 

 cluding Mashonaland, Gazaland, the Beira Country 

 and Portuguese East Africa, parts of the Eastern 

 Transvaal, Khama's country, and Ngamiland. The 

 flesh of this antelope is fairly good eating. 



The Blesbok (Damaliscus albifrons} was, not 

 so many years ago, one of the most abundant 

 antelopes in all South Africa. From the northern 

 Karroos of Cape Colony to the high veldt of 

 the Transvaal, it was to be found in scores and 

 hundreds of thousands. Little more than a genera- 

 tion has sufficed for the skin -hunting Boers to 

 effect the downfall of so prolific a species. At 

 the present time the handsome Blesbok is only to 

 be found in portions of the Western Transvaal and 

 British Bechuanaland, and here and there in the 

 Orange River Colony. Five years ago probably 

 from 3000 to 5000 head still existed ; since the war 

 it is doubtful if anything like that quantity survive. 



Standing about 3 feet 5 inches at the withers, the 

 Blesbok is, for its size, an antelope of robust shape, 

 having elevated, somewhat humpy withers and sloping 

 quarters. The body-colouring is very beautiful, a 



