WILD ANIMALS OF THE EASTERN SUDAN 43 



The hippopotamus is now very scarce in the 

 Atbara and Settit, and should be more strictly pre- 

 served in those rivers if it is not to disappear alto- 

 gether. It does not occur at all on the Rahad, but 

 there are a few in the Binder and a considerable 

 number in the Blue Nile. The pursuit of this animal 

 is unattended with danger, and the trophies are too 

 bulky to tempt accumulation. Fortunately, I secured 

 two entire head-trophies, with the hides and feet, 

 and not a particle of the meat was wasted by the 

 Arabs. As the animal invariably passes the day in 

 the water, often within easy reach of the shore, the 

 brain-shot is almost always taken. This lies about 

 four inches below the centre of the line joining the eye 

 with the orifice of the ear. Shot in the brain it sinks 

 at once, to rise some four hours later, when the 

 sportsman may calculate on spending fully three days 

 attending to the trophies and drying the meat. 



The buffalo is generally held to be the most 

 dangerous of African game, and I have been ac- 

 counted fortunate in my experiences, both in India 

 and Africa. The bulls that I have measured in the 

 Eastern Sudan were small among buffaloes, say 13 

 hands in height, but exceedingly massive, and of a 

 weight of some 1200 Ib. Buffalo are to be found in 

 small parties on the Settit, from Hagar ul Zuruk 

 upwards. None exist upon the Atbara. There are 

 a few upon the Kahad above the inhabited tract 



