174 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



black coat with snow white belly. He is a much bolder 

 animal than the kudu, which prefers to keep to fairly thick 

 cover, but the sable is very fond of wide, open spaces, 

 although he retires to the bush when the sun gets hot. I 

 have mentioned that in Nyasaland few sable grow horns 

 longer than 43in., but in North-Western Rhodesia this is a 

 common length, and heads have been procured there 

 close on 5oin. 



This species was first brought to the notice of naturalists, 

 about the year 1838, by the late Sir Cornwallis Harris, and 

 it was long known as the " Harrisbuck." The Boers of 

 South Africa have a very descriptive name for the sable, 

 as they call it " Zwartwitpens," which, in Dutch, means 

 " black, with white belly." 



Sable antelopes used to inhabit a great range of country 

 in Africa, they are still numerous in the country lying 

 north of the Zambesi River, and they are particularly 

 abundant in parts of Nyasaland, Portuguese East Africa, 

 and North-Eastern and Western Rhodesia. Anyone who 

 wishes to get a really big pair of sable horns should 

 go to the latter country, and I am sure he will get what 

 he wants. 



Sable are usually found in herds of from ten to 

 twenty-five animals, and sometimes much larger herds will 

 be seen. 



The old bulls seem to love to lead a solitary existence 

 at times, and they are then much easier to shoot than the 

 herd bulls, as their hearing and sight fails, and they have 

 not the safeguard of the younger and more alert animals 

 as a protection. 



The largest pair of sable horns I have shot only measure 

 43m. I found the animal sleeping at a distance of sixty 

 yards or so, and killed him as he lay, so there was little 

 true sport in the affair. 



I got this bull in North-Eastern Rhodesia, and near 

 where I shot him I wounded, on another day, a bigger- 

 horned bull, which I lost after spending the best part of 

 two days spooring him. He was only slightly hit, or I 



