THE HARTEBEESTS 35 



the coat is brown, so dark that the animal is commonly known in 

 Africa as the Black Wildebeest. The muzzle is sprinkled with long 

 white hairs, and a few of these surround the eyes. 



In disposition and habits, as in appearance, this animal exaggerates 

 the peculiarities of the Brindled Gnu, being much fiercer, and more 

 excitable and given to cutting capers than that animal. It was formerly 

 about half-a-century ago a very abundant animal in South Africa, 

 ranging to the southward of the habitat of the Blue Wildebeest, and 

 frequenting the "Karroo" districts. It frequently associated with the 

 Quagga, just as its relative still does with Burchell's Zebra., but the 

 same fate of extinction by man's persecution that has befallen its 

 equine companion, has nearly overtaken the White-tailed Gnu also, and 

 now two or three herds, preserved on Boer farms, are all that represent 

 this remarkable creature in a wild condition nowadays. 



Fortunately the White-tailed Gnu does well in captivity out of its 

 native land, and has long been well known in menageries ; it has bred 

 freely in our Zoological Gardens, and specimens of both this and the 

 other species were on view there at the time of writing. 



THE HARTEBEESTS 



ALLIED to the Gnus or Wildebeests are the Hartebeests (Bubalis), a 

 group of Antelopes also of very peculiar form, though less odd in 

 aspect than the former, having none of the heavy Buffalo-like appear- 

 ance about the head, nor the Horse-like tail, although that appendage 

 is of fair length and well-haired. Their chief peculiarities, indeed, are 

 the very marked slope of the back towards the hind-quarters, and the 

 long miserable-looking face, with the eyes set near the top of the 

 head, which is crowned by a pair of strongly-ringed horns of only 

 moderate length, but with a more or less well-marked double curve, very 

 angular in some species. Both sexes are horned, and look much alike. 

 Hartebeests are about as big as a Donkey, and range from fawn 

 to bay in colour, sometimes varied with black on the face and legs. 

 Except for details in the shape of the horns, they are much alike and 

 easily recognisable. There are eight species, all purely African, except 

 one (B. boselaphus) which ranges into Arabia and even the > borders 



