70 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



of the Crocodile River. It further extends through 

 Portuguese territory south of the Zambezi, and is still 

 fairly abundant in parts of Southern Rhodesia, Western 

 Bechuanaland, German West Africa, and Portuguese 

 Angola. In the Batoka plateau of north-western Rhodesia 

 the animals are celebrated for the size of their horns, and 

 are, or were, very plentiful ; thence the extension con- 

 tinues through north-east Rhodesia and Nyasaland. 

 North of these territories the species becomes rarer, and 

 the horns of dwindling size. Its most northerly range 

 appears to be the coast belt of British East Africa, whence 

 the trophies obtained are relatively poor. 



The sable is sociable, being found in herds varying 

 from eight or ten, up to forty or fifty individuals. He 

 is to a great extent, though not entirely, a grass eater, 

 and prefers thin forest country, interspersed with alternate 

 thickets for shade, and open vleis for grazing. He is a 

 regular drinker, and is seldom found more than a few 

 hours from water of some kind. 



The calves, like the females, are of a reddish colour 

 and contrast strongly with the males, though females 

 darken perceptibly with age, and old ones sometimes 

 appear nearly of the same hue as the other sex. The 

 bulls fight desperately, at certain seasons, and in these 

 duels the wounds from their long sharp horns constantly 

 prove fatal to one or other of the rivals. The male sable 

 is, in fact, a fighter to the backbone ; when wounded, 

 and brought to bay, he usually lies down, and covering 

 every portion of his body with lightning-like sweeps of 

 his long horns, deals out certain death to any rash dog 

 which may approach within their reach. Herbivorous 

 wild animals seldom attack individuals of another species 

 with serious intent, but a few years ago one of the rangers 

 came upon a kudu bull newly dead, with a severe horn 



