THE ANTELOPES AND GAZELLES 125 



shoulder, he carries a thick, rough coat, varying from 

 a greyish to a reddish brown. The neck-ruff or 

 mane is long, full, and reversed. Round the muzzle 

 and lower lip, about the throat, and in front of the 

 eyes, are white markings ; and a curious white, ellip- 

 tical band, from which the beast takes its name, 

 crosses the rump and, as it were, encircles the tail. 

 The face is brown, the legs are a darker brown, the 

 forehead rufous. The brown tail reaches barely to 

 the hocks. The horns are magnificent, thick, robust, 

 strongly annulated, and having a fine curving sweep 

 to the points. The waterbuck has a most noble 

 carriage, as if thoroughly conscious of his own im- 

 portance, and, standing by some quiet river pool or 

 in front of a pale-yellow reed bed, he looks what he 

 is one of the true aristocrats among the fauna of the 

 African wilderness. The female, being hornless, is 

 a much humbler-looking animal than her handsome 

 lord and master. Waterbucks are more or less gre- 

 garious, ranging the veldt preferably stretches of 

 grass and reedy flats in the vicinity of African 

 streams, in parties of from five or six to as many as 

 twenty or thirty. Although a short-legged, heavily- 

 built animal, this antelope is wonderfully active, and 

 takes to rough and stony hillsides, or dense bush, 

 where plenty of leaping is required, with equal facility. 

 Even upon an open flat it can run at a more than 

 respectable pace, and for a mile or so will give a well- 

 mounted hunter plenty of employment. As a rule 

 this fine antelope is to be sought among the bush, 

 reeds, and scattered thorn-timber characteristic of the 



