148 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



absent, though the forest may be in all other respects 

 apparently suitable to their requirements, they are not 

 met with. It is probable that they pick grass in the 

 open glades on the edge of the forest when they leave the 

 latter at night. They are apparently quite independent 

 of drinking, as they seldom venture far from their 

 particular piece of forest, often situate many miles from 

 water of any kind. Probably the roots which they eat 

 so largely supply both food and drink. 



Varieties of the genus are the Royal Antelope and 

 Bates's Pigmy Antelope from the west coast, Harrison's 

 Pigmy Antelope from the Congo, and the Suni from 

 Kilimanjaro to Mogambique ; they are also found in some 

 of the small islands near Zanzibar. 



THE DIK-DIK. Dik-diks are very small antelopes with 

 pointed and elongated noses almost completely covered 

 with hair. The crown of the head possesses a tuft of 

 long hairs. The tail is very short. False hoofs are 

 present, but they are very small. 



The genus extends diagonally across Africa from 

 Abyssinia and Somaliland to Damaraland, and inhabits dry 

 and open country. Eleven species are described in " The 

 Game Animals of Africa," and none are much larger 

 than a hare. 



CHAPTER XVII 



ANTELOPES (continued) 



Waterbucks : The Lechwe : Cobs : Reedbucks : The Vaal 

 or Grey Rhebuck 



THE WATERBUCK. The waterbuck ranges through the 

 more open forest country of eastern Africa from Somali- 

 land in the north to Zululand in the south, and spreads 

 westward to northern and southern Rhodesia, and German 



