ANTELOPES 141 



and, when surprised in the open, as if conscious of his 

 deficiency in the matter of pace, he makes at once for 

 his beloved rocks. 



His food consists of small shrubs and grasses growing 

 among the stones in and near his stronghold, to the foot 

 of which he regularly descends at night to feed. The 

 natural moisture of the grass and the nightly dews serve 

 him for drink during the greater part of the year, and he 

 is often found among hills many miles not only from any 

 permanent water, but apparently from water of any 

 kind. It may be that being content with very little, he 

 finds sufficient to supply his needs during the dry season 

 in little pools of moisture deposited by last season's rains 

 under overhanging boulders, and in shady crevices of the 

 rocks. Perhaps when these are quite dried up he migrates 

 by night to some other hilly ground close to more perma- 

 nent pools, and in the Transvaal Reserve individuals have 

 once or twice been surprised lying up in the daytime in 

 thick covert far from any rocks. 



The call is a thin whistle, rather reminiscent of a child's 

 flute, or toy trumpet, and quite distinct from that uttered 

 by reedbuck. 



* There are two remarkable natural features about the 

 klipspringer. One is the construction of the hoofs, which 

 are nearly rectangular in shape, have a long narrow sole, 

 and form one line with the legs. The other point is the 

 nature of the coat, which differs in texture from that of 

 any other African antelope, and has rather the brittle 

 appearance and feeling characterizing that of a deer. The 

 hair very easily breaks and comes out, and therefore the 

 preservation of klipspringer skins is a matter demanding 

 considerable attention . The hair makes excellent stuffing 

 for saddle panels. 

 The principal enemies of the klipspringer are the 



