298 EASTERN ETHIOPIA xxm 



Waterbuck lie up in forests along the banks of rivers 

 and feed on the open grass flats outside the belts of 

 forest and are shy animals. They will seek refuge 

 from pursuit in the water. Horns are present only in 

 the males ; they are annulated, long, and peculiar in 

 shape, and often exceed thirty inches in length. 



Several species of Waterbuck are comprised in the 

 genus Cobus. Of these the largest are the common 

 Waterbuck, C. ellipsprymnus, and the Defassa. The 

 first mentioned antelope is not so abundant in East as 

 in South Africa ; it is easily distinguished by the white 

 elliptical stripe on its rump, from which its name is 

 derived. The Defassa is common in British East Africa 

 and Somaliland : it is a grand animal and carries hand- 

 some horns. It is sometimes erroneously called the 

 Sing-Sing. The Waterbuck (C. unctuosus), to which this 

 name belongs, lives in West Africa. Defassa is an 

 Abyssinian name. 



The smaller species of Waterbuck are known as Kobs. 

 There are three well-known species in Eastern Ethiopia. 

 The Uganda Kob (C. thomasi) ; the White-eared Kob 

 (C. leucotis) ; and Mrs. Gray's Kob (C. maria). All 

 these are pretty and graceful antelopes. The Uganda 

 Kob is very common around the northern shore of the 

 Victoria Nyanza ; the Baganda often use its antlers to 

 ornament the prows of their boats (see p. 50). Mrs. 

 Grav's Kob has a darker coat than is usual among 







Waterbuck, and its horns resemble those of the Impalla ; 

 it lives in the swamps of the White Nile. 



