310 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



THE PA A 



The Paa (N. Kirkii) is found throughout East Africa in 

 thick and open bush on dry sandy soil. It is exceedingly 

 plentiful on Manda island opposite Lamu, Merereni, the thick 

 bush east of Taveta, and again in Ngaboto in the Suk country. 

 It is the smallest of the East African antelopes, and is usually 

 bagged with a shot-gun and No. 5 shot, as it darts about 

 among the bush and scrub like a rabbit. The flesh of this 

 little beast has a strong flavour of musk and is very disagreeable 

 to eat at all times, but in the rutting season is altogether un- 

 eatable ; the natives, however, revel in it. Its note of alarm- 

 is between a shrill whistle and a scream. It feeds on the 

 leaves of various shrubs, and doubtless its curious little pre- 

 hensile nose is admirably adapted to securing its food. The 

 paa is found throughout the year in the driest and most arid 

 wildernesses, where for several months there is neither rain nor 

 even a drop of standing water for many miles round. It is 

 therefore quite evident that the juices of the vegetation on 

 which it feeds and the dews at night are sufficient for its 

 requirements. The best way to obtain this little beast is to take 

 three or four men to act as beaters, and they must thoroughly 

 beat every bush at all likely to hold a buck, as it is in the habit 

 of lying very close and takes a good deal to move it, but when 

 once started affords capital snap-shots. 



GRAVE ISLAND GAZELLE 



The N. moschatus, commonly known as ' Grave Island 

 gazelle,' derives this name from being for a long time only 

 obtained on a small island in Zanzibar harbour on which the 

 English cemetery is situated. How this little antelope got on 

 to this and another small island no one knows, as it is not at 

 present known to exist on the islands of Zanzibar or Pemba. 

 It is, however, found in the thick bush behind Frere Town, 

 the Church Mission station at Mombasa, and also in the 



