HARTEBEESTE, ELAND, AND KUDU 261 



of movements his South African brother the 

 white- tailed gnu is immeasurably his superior. 

 The wildebeeste possesses great endurance and 

 vitality, and unless mortally hit will often escape 

 with wounds which should incapacitate any animal. 



A HARTEBEESTE (Bubalis spp.) and the TSESSEBE 

 (Damaliscus lunatus) are fpund sparsely between 

 the Cunene and Cubango, and possibly elsewhere 

 in south-east Angola, though I never came across 

 them or their spoor. Tl^e hartebeeste may be 

 Bubalis major, though its known southern limit is 

 north of the Equator. It may be the Cape harte- 

 beeste, whose know r n northern limit is Lake Nganai, 

 OH' it may be some other species or a new one. 



The ELAND (Taurotragus oryx) (Onuima ih 

 Umbundu, Ongunga in Quillenge), once common 

 all over central and south Angola and now scarc^ 

 Owing to persistent destruction, is still widely 

 distributed. I have seen spoor in the Coanza-i 

 Loando watershed, on the Coporollo and north of 

 Lubango, and its presence, though scarce, i^ 

 reported in the Loanda province, parts of the 

 plateau region of Benguella, Caconda, and HuilLa 

 (along the Cunene, Cubango, and Cuando Riveys, 

 and many of their tributaries). Eland are foimd 

 in small herds or as solitary bulls in open forest, 

 and often near village gardens, which they are 

 fond of raiding at nights. They arc able to do 

 without water for long periods, and in waterless 

 tracks of country can live on the wild melon and 

 succulent roots, which they dig up from the ground. 

 This splendid, gentle beast, standing 17 hands at 

 the shoulder and weighing well over half a ton, 



