ANTELOPES. 



153 



former being only about two and a half inches, and 

 the latter fhe. The horns stand immediately over the 

 orbits ; they are straight and smooth, and shining, ex- 

 cept a few small annul! at the bases. The tail is merely 

 rudimeutal, and does not appear beyond the hair. 

 The upper part is of a moderately intense crimson 

 colour, and consists of rather long hair, as indeed 

 does the whole covering of the animal. But the red 

 hairs are uniformly mixed with a thin sprinkling of 

 longer white ones, which give the upper part a hoary 

 aspect, and it is for this reason that it is called the 

 grysbok or grisly-buck. The head and the lower 

 parts of the legs are fawn-colour, and the rest of 

 the under parts light sandy-brown. The muzzle, the 

 openings of the sinuses, a small circle round each 

 eye, and the backs of the ears are black; but the 

 latter are thinly powdered with white hairs, being 

 otherwise almost naked. 



Its pastures are not exactly the same as those of 

 the steenbok ; for while that resorts to places near 

 the mountain rocks, this rather frequents those which 

 border upon the mountain bushes and mountain 

 forests, the scrubby places which are scattered 

 with low bushes, in nearly the same manner as the 

 haunts of the steenbok are with stones. Like that 

 species it is not gregarious, but found in pairs, which, 

 tnoogh similarity of haunt brings them into each 

 other's locality, appear to take no interest in each 

 other. It is not nearly so fleet as the steenbok, and 

 therefore in open places it is much more easily 

 caught; but its bushy pastures afford it cover in 

 which it conceals itself very adroit!}', and is not 

 easily driven out. It is, perhaps, more common in 

 its proper localities in most parts of the Cape than 

 the steenbok ; and its numbers are much less liable 

 to be thinned by the eagles, as the young are con- 

 cealed under the bushes, which shield them equally 

 from the vision and the pounce of their winged foes. 

 The bushes in such places are generally hard and 

 stiff, and not (infrequently beset w ith strong prickles ; 

 so that though an eagle were to espy ayoung grysbok 

 under one of those bushes, and stoop at it, she 

 would gain nothing but a thorough scratching, and 

 the animal would escape to a place of safety before 

 she could possibly disentangle herself. The flesh of 

 the grysbok, like that of the former species is, though 

 at all' times destitute of fat, held in considerable 

 estimation by the colonists. 



The KOODOO (A. ttrepticeros). This splendid 

 animal gets the name strepsiceros from the numerous 

 and graceful turns or flexures of its magnificent 

 horns. These horns are among the most showy 

 borne by any animal. They rise together from the 

 crown, bend gradually outwards, then inwards and 

 outwards again, with several flexures which have 

 in each horn the character of a very peculiar spiral ; 

 and their remarkable curvature is rendered more 

 striking by a projecting ridge which winds very gently 

 round them, so as always to keep on the convex side 

 of the curve. They are very thick and strong at the 

 bases, from which for a considerable distance they 

 are wrinkled but not annulated. The basal part, as 

 far as the wrinkles, is brownish horn-colour, the mid- 

 dle part of the horn black, and the tip white ; each 

 horn is, measured along the windings, not less than 

 four feet in length ; and as the animal which carries 

 them is large, they have a very showy appearance. 

 The length of the full-grown koodoo is not less than 

 eight feet ; it stands fully four feet at the shoulder ; 

 and when the head is carried erect, the points of the 



horns are at least four feet more. There is a good 

 deal of sheeplike expression in the animal ; and from 

 the account given, it will be seen that the horns are 

 something intermediate between those of the sheep 

 and the antelopes. The ears, face, and muzzle are 

 broad ; the neck and body are heavily and rather 

 loosely made ; and the legs are thick, w ithout many 

 indications of agility. The general colour on the 

 upper part is light greyish-brown, with a white line 

 down the back, and a number of small bars descend- 

 ing thence over the sides and flanks ; the lower parts 

 are whitish-brown. Along the neck and on part of 

 the back there is a sort of straggling mane ; and there 

 is also a beard on the chin, which is continued along the 

 neck, and as far as the posterior edge of the sternum. 

 Though from its size, the form of its horns, and the 

 contrast of its colours, the koodoo is an animal well 

 calculated to arrest the attention ; yet it has none 

 of the wonderfully buoyant characters, which are so 

 remarkable in those smaller creatures, which scour 

 along the deserts like the wind. The koodoo is an 

 animal of richer pastures, and less laborious pursuits. 

 It lives in the thick forests near the perennial rivers, 

 where, when the grass happens to fail, abundant 

 food may still be had in the leaves and young shoots 

 of trees. It does not, therefore, require to migrate ; 

 neither has it any masses of stone to overleap, any 

 rocks to climb, or any deserts to traverse. Its greatest 

 annoyance is water, when its pastures are partially 

 inundated or divided into islands during the rains. 

 On these occasions koodoos readily betake themselves 

 to the water, and swim with considerable ease, their 

 heavy horns resting partially on the back, assisting 

 them in keeping the muzzle elevated above the 

 water. In their ordinary ramblings through the 

 forests, which are usually not at a very quick pace, 

 the horns seem a sort of lumber to them, and they 

 then, in some measure, carry them on their backs. 

 It is possible that this may assist them in respiration, 

 as the direction which that gives to the muzzle 

 brings the nostrils into purer air than can be ex- 

 pected nearer the surface, where so many sub- 

 stances, both animal and vegetable, are in a state 

 of putrefaction. Indeed, unless they serve some 

 purpose of this kind it is not easy to see why 

 many of the sylvan antelopes are furnished with 

 even larger horns than those of the open plains, horns 

 which can be of little service either as a means 

 of defence, or as auxiliaries in finding their food in 

 dense forests. The uses of horns in those animals 

 which have them is, however, a point to which much 

 philosophical attention has not been paid, though 

 it is certainly one well worthy of investigation. The 

 koodoo is not a swift animal, because swift marches 

 w ould be but of little value in a forest ; but it can en- 

 dure much fatigue, and it leaps with great power arid 

 ! energy, so as to clear readily a bush or other obstacle 

 ten or twelve feet high. The female has but one 

 young at a birth ; and the young are gentle crea- 

 tures, domesticated without any trouble, and never 

 attempt to regain the wilds, so that they might be 

 rendered highly ornamental in Europe as park 

 animals. The males too, though they stand at bay 

 with sufficient boldness and resolution when at- 

 tacked, are not understood to be in any degree 

 vicious or disposed to act on the offensive. From 

 the nature of their haunts they are animals which 

 are not very much seen by Europeans. They are 

 said to live in snuill packs. 



The BOSIIV.OK (A. sylratica) is another inhu- 



