248 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



they live ; and even they are being rapidly killed 

 off, as the natives are always after them, lying 

 in wait for them in the paths made by the 

 hippopotamuses or creeping stealthily through the 

 bush in their pursuit. 



Curiously enough, in these thickets, where inyalas 

 are so numerous, there are very few bushbucks, 

 although the surroundings are in every respect 

 suited to their requirements. I can only account 

 for the scarcity of the bushbucks, where inyalas 

 are plentiful, by supposing that the latter animals 

 will not tolerate the former considering them too 

 nearly akin to themselves to make good neighbours; 

 for a male bushbuck might be excused, I think, for 

 making love to an inyala doe, which scarcely differs 

 from one of his own females in any way except 

 size, and that probably not to a sufficient degree to 

 stop his advances during the rutting season ; which, 

 of course, would be resented by the male inyala, 

 and the latter being the more powerful animal, has 

 been able to drive his rival out of his preserves. 

 If jealousy is not answerable for the scarcity of 

 bushbucks in these jungles where inyalas are so 

 plentiful, I fail to understand why the former 

 animals should be so numerous lower down the 

 river under exactly similar conditions, except that 

 there there are no inyalas. 



In the open expanse of water, some half a mile 

 in breadth, just opposite our camp, several hippo- 

 potamuses were grunting and playing about on our 

 arrival, and as long as we remained here there were 

 always some of these animals in sight. In the even- 

 ing I went out after inyala, but though I saw plenty 

 of spoor, I did not catch sight of one of the animals 

 themselves. Soon after dark a heavy thunderstorm 

 came up from the south, and continued with much 

 lightning and torrents of rain till long after midnight. 

 Having neither a tent nor a waterproof sheet, I, 



