ELAND 309 



seen herds numbering from 100 to 200 individuals grazing like herds 

 of cattle on the downs stretching from the Makubisi river, where the 

 town of Salisbury now stands, to Mount Hampden on the Gwibi 

 river. The largest herd I ever saw was in December 1879 m tne 

 midst of the vast stretch of forest-clad country often waterless for 

 many months in the year lying south of the Mababi river. There 

 must have been well over 200 animals in this herd ; and among them, 

 or rather bringing up the rear, as they trotted away through the open 

 forest, were twelve old bulls, besides many younger males, which, though 

 larger than the cows, had not yet attained the enormous bulk, and 

 the frontlet of long black bristling hair, characteristic of old bulls. 

 I still remember the sight presented by some 200 pairs of long straight 

 horns, held almost at the same slant, as these eland trotted off in 

 a dense phalanx, and how, when they made a sudden turn and the sun 

 glinted on their straight black horns, my companion compared them to 

 the fixed bayonets of a regiment of soldiers. 



" Once in the northern Kalahari I saw a herd of eland entirely 

 composed of young animals. There were quite fifty of them, all calves, 

 from ten to twelve months old, without a single adult animal among 

 them. I have never seen anything of the sort before or since. 



" In good seasons eland in the Kalahari desert probably become 

 fatter and heavier than in any other part of South Africa, as the grasses 

 are succulent and nourishing, and cattle and sheep thrive and fatten 

 on them exceedingly well so long as they can obtain water. Eland, 

 in common with gemsbuck, springbuck, and other antelopes, are, how- 

 ever, independent of water, for although they drink regularly in parts 

 of the country where water is plentiful, yet nothing is more certain 

 than that they are able to exist for long periods without even seeing 

 water. During such times they probably obtain the liquid necessary 

 for their subsistence from wild water-melons, and various roots growing 

 at a considerable depth below the surface of the ground in the desert 

 parts of South Africa, some of which contain a great deal of water. 

 I have seen natives dig up these roots, which looked something like 

 turnips, but contained more water than an orange does juice, and have 

 no doubt that the desert -animals arc able to scent them and then 

 scratch them up, the soil being soft and sandy ; indeed I have often 

 seen places where gemsbuck had dug up these roots. 



" The flesh of the eland is often spoken of as though it was always 

 superior to that of all other African antelopes, but this has not been 

 my experience. When an eland is fat and in good condition its meat 

 is juicy, succulent, and well flavoured, although not better than that of 



