288 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



bowman stood, passing within two yards of him ! The 

 British East African bongo carries horns in both sexes, 

 the male, of course, having much the more massive and 

 handsome. Any bongo may be shot, but over 30 inches 

 would be a nice bull. Although not often seen, bongo 

 undoubtedly do cross open glades ; I have seen their 

 fresh tracks over an opening for at least a mile. 

 Natives often obtain specimens with packs of dogs, 

 which follow the game, bay it, and hold it up till 

 despatched with spears and arrows. European dogs, 

 however, tend to become awed and demoralised by the 

 huge size, silence, and loneliness of the forest, and after 

 the first day or so will not hunt. I am at a loss to under- 

 stand why, for so long, the Game Department have 

 winked at the sale by natives of skins and horns 

 belonging to this magnificent and harmless antelope. 

 He is found only in the thickest forest and is reported 

 from several localities. I have only myself seen his 

 spoor or heard definite report of his capture from the 

 Mau forest, the Aberdares, and the Kenia forest. 



The Greater Kudu^ unluckily for himself, is provided 

 by nature with the finest horns of any known antelope ; 

 luckily, she has also provided him with a due sense of 

 their value, and no beast takes greater care of himself. 

 Thus, although the species is fairly widely distributed, 

 and probably much more common than is generally 

 supposed, very few specimens are killed annually. 

 Unfortunately, Kudu of both species seem very liable 

 to disease ; during the last ten years there have been 

 at least two outbreaks of gastro-enteritis or some 

 similar disease, which have severely affected all the 

 known herds in the Protectorate. From his size, stately 

 bearing, and the magnificence of his horns, one imagines 

 the Kudu as lording it among glades and park-like 



