120 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



all ; the male from that place now in captivity at Sabi 

 Bridge has both, the female being apparently devoid of 

 the chevron while in her winter coat, though in summer 

 there is a faint indication. Mr. Selous also pointed out 

 elands in his collection, which had been killed in Rhodesia 

 and Bechuanaland, possessing very pronounced whitish 

 chevrons, while others had no signs of such things. Like 

 the Burchell zebra then, the eland appears to tend to 

 change from a rich brown-coloured and brightly striped 

 animal in the north, to one dun-coloured and unmarked 

 in the south part of its range, and, between the two 

 extremities of the typical form, there are so many slightly 

 varying local races of which the types merge so gradually 

 into one another, and between which there are so many 

 intermediate forms, even in the present days of local 

 extermination, that it is difficult to find any definite 

 dividing line. The bulls always tend to assume a bluish 

 hue, with increasing age. Both sexes are horned. 



Elands are sociable, and are, where numerous, often 

 met with in very large herds. They are great travellers, 

 and seem to be constantly on the move while grazing, 

 while, during the heat of the day, they stop and rest for 

 short periods only, when some large tree, providing a 

 pleasant shade, is reached. They are browsers by 

 inclination, favouring the grass only when fresh and 

 green, and sometimes cropping the tops of young river 

 reeds. At other times the leaves of various trees and 

 shrubs, especially acacias, form the staple diet ; indeed, 

 very little seems to come amiss, and domesticated 

 specimens eat grenadilla creepers and banana leaves, 

 which are usually deemed to be safe from stock. Of 

 fruits, the so-called kaffir orange and the apples of the 

 marula tree are greatly sought after in their proper 

 seasons. Like most antelopes, and in spite of their 



