ANTELOPES 73 



I have never found the remains of full-grown male 

 sable antelopes killed by any species of carnivora except 

 lions, and, excepting for the incident personally witnessed 

 by Mr. Selous, had never heard of even hunting dogs 

 venturing to attack them, until quite recently one of 

 the rangers reported having seen a pack of these creatures 

 chasing a single sable. A native policeman said he saw 

 two sable cows at bay to a pack of wild dogs in a pool of 

 water. It must, I should think, be a very rare occurrence, 

 and when, having found escape impossible, he turns on 

 his pursuers, they must fare nearly as badly as domestic 

 dogs. 



Courageous as he is by nature, the sable is never, in a 

 wild state, aggressive towards man ; though the Transvaal 

 magistrate who not long since had to deal with the 

 subject, appeared of a contrary opinion. In a case 

 brought into court, a gentleman charged with shooting 

 three sable antelopes (which are Royal game) without a 

 licence, and out of season, stoutly maintained that the 

 animals successively charged him, and that he was 

 obliged to shoot them in order to save his life. He 

 received the benefit of the doubt ! When alarmed they 

 utter a succession of resonant equine snorts, which is 

 the only sound I have ever heard them make. 



THE ROAN. This species has a wider distribution than 

 his cousin the sable antelope, but is seldom found in 

 troops exceeding ten or twelve individuals. 



Roan antelopes are spread over most of Africa south 

 of the Sahara, and four sub-species are recognized. They 

 naturally favour rather upland, rolling country, not too 

 thickly wooded such as, in the Transvaal, is known as 

 middle veld but when persecuted take readily to forest, 

 and are then met with in the same sort of surroundings 

 as the sable. The roan is a larger and more heavily 



