56 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



caused it to lose all its distinctive character that is, all 

 the quality which could possibly make it protective. Near 

 by it is always very conspicuous, and if the conditions are 

 such that any animal can be seen at all, a zebra will catch 

 the eye much more quickly than a Grant's gazelle, for in- 

 stance. These gazelles, by the way, although much less 

 conspicuously colored than the zebra, bear when young, 

 and the females even when adult, the dark side stripe 

 which characterizes all sexes and ages of the smaller gazelle, 

 the tommy; it is a very conspicuous marking, quite 

 inexplicable on any theory of protective coloration. The 

 truth is that no game of the plains is helped in any way by 

 its coloration in evading its foes and none seeks to escape 

 the vision of its foes. The larger game animals of the 

 plains are always walking and standing in conspicuous 

 places, and never seek to hide or take advantage of cover; 

 while, on the contrary, the little grass and bush antelopes, 

 like the duiker and steinbuck, trust very much to their 

 power of hiding, and endeavor to escape the sight of their 

 foes by lying absolutely still, in the hope of not being made 

 out against their background. On the plains one sees the 

 wildebeest farthest off and with most ease; the zebra and 

 hartebeest next; the gazelles last. 



The wildebeest are very wary. While the hunter is 

 still a long way off the animal will stop grazing and stand 

 with head raised, the heavy shoulders and short neck mak- 

 ing it unmistakable. Then, when it makes up its mind to 

 allow no closer approach, it brandishes its long tail, springs 

 and plunges, runs once or twice in semicircles, and is off, 

 the head held much lower than the shoulders, the tail still 

 lashing; and now and then a bull may toss up the dust 

 with its horns. The herds of cows and calves usually con- 

 tain one or two or more bulls; and in addition, dotted here 

 and there over the plain, are single bulls or small parties of 

 bulls, usually past their prime or not yet full grown. These 

 bulls are often found in the company of hartebeests or 

 zebras; and stray zebras and hartebeests are often found 



