ONE AFRICAN DAY 213 



of 27, 27J, 28 J, 28J, an( j 30 J inches, whilst Judd shot 

 a magnificent specimen of 31| inches, practically 

 equalling the record. Pallah are amongst the most 

 interesting and beautiful of all the African antelopes. 

 They are always just sufficiently wild to make good 

 stalking necessary, and when one good ram is mixed 

 up with fifty or a hundred females and small beasts 

 it is not always easy to secure him, especially if the 

 first shot (always the best) is missed. The herd then 

 becomes " kittle " and restive, starting into little 

 leaps and runs whenever the hunter gets within 

 200 yards and tries another shot. Sometimes the 

 herd must be followed for hours without a chance 

 being given, and then patience is sometimes 

 rewarded and another chance results in a kill. 

 Even when but slightly alarmed Pallah have a 

 very retentive memory, and though apparently 

 " settled " and suitable for a fresh stalk, the 

 hunter is often nonplussed by sudden movements 

 of a single beast (generally an old female), who gets 

 all the rest on the move by some sudden paroxysm 

 of fear. This one alarmist has often a very sure 

 idea of judging distance, setting the figure of danger 

 at about 250 yards, so that whilst it is quite easy 

 to walk openly to within this range, any further 

 advance will start the one beast with a good 

 memory, and then there is a rush, the whole herd 

 leaping gracefully in the air over the backs of 

 others. At such times it is well to sit beneath a 

 tree for an hour and allow the herd to settle, although 

 keeping them within view, and then start on a fresh 

 stalk. 



This evening I found a very large herd near the 

 river about a mile from camp, and noticed that it 

 contained one fine male with a good wide head. 



