SITUTUNGA 339 



" Although so little is known of these antelopes, there can be no 

 doubt that they are abundant in the reed-beds and papyrus-swamps 

 they frequent ; and in certain seasons of heavy floods, when the water 

 in these reed-beds becomes so deep that the natives can paddle all 

 over them in their canoes, great numbers are killed. The headman 

 of a small village on the Zambesi between Sesheke and the mouth 

 of the Chobi told me, for instance, that he and his people once 

 killed fifteen of these antelopes in a single day in a reed-bed near 

 their village during a heavy flood. I also learned from the natives 

 that when in seasons of flood the water in the reed-beds becomes deep 

 enough to allow a canoe to be paddled through them, the situtunga, 

 when they perceive a canoe approaching, do not attempt to run away, 

 but just sink down in the water where they happen to be standing, 

 submerging the whole of their bodies and only leaving their nostrils 

 above the surface. When in this position, they are said to allow a 

 canoe to be paddled alongside them without moving, trusting that 

 their enemies will pass them unobserved, and are then killed with 

 assegais. Examining a considerable number of the skins of situtunga 

 in the possession of the natives of the Chobi and the Zambesi, I found 

 they had all been killed with assegais, and thus have no doubt that 

 they were despatched in the manner described. In very dry seasons I 

 believe the natives sometimes kill situtunga by setting fire to the drier 

 portions of the reed-beds, and driving them into the open channels, 

 when they are speared from canoes while swimming across." 



The following account by Mr. Ernest Gedge, which, like the last, 

 has been condensed and slightly modified, refers to the situtunga in 

 East Central Africa : 



" By nature it is extremely shy, and as it seldom ventures outside 

 its retreat, is rarely encountered. When alarmed or pressed, it will 

 take to the water and remain submerged, exposing only the nostrils 

 above the surface for breathing purposes. Captain Speke described 

 it as of a fierce and aggressive disposition when attacked ; but this 

 trait I have not so far observed, nor did I ever hear it alluded to by 

 the natives. 



"In 1893-94, while travelling in Uganda, in the vicinity of the 

 Victoria Nyanza, we learnt from the Waganda that a certain antelope 

 existed in large numbers on one of the Sessc islands in the lake. At 

 first we disbelieved this report, but finally decided to test its truth. 

 Embarking in four canoes with a number of the Waganda, we made 

 for the island, which was reached on the third day. The island itself 

 lay far from land, and was perhaps half-a-mile in length and a few 



