62 THE GAME OF BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



When a herd breaks up on the plains and joins up in the course of an hour no 

 doubt this is done by sight, but all joining up of animals from any distance is carried 

 out by scent. It cannot but be noticed that many animals have a very strong and 

 distinct smell. A few of the strong-smelling game are elephant, rhino, buffalo, eland, 

 waterbuck, bushbuck, lion, hyaena, warthog, zebra. No doubt this powerful smell is 

 of service to them in finding one another. 



Most game animals possess peculiar glands, whose functions are imperfectly 

 understood, but they are thought to be sexual in action and to aid in this scenting of 

 one another. Such is the peculiar gland under the eye of many buck, such 

 as the gnus, hartebeests, gazelles, steinbucks, duikers, oribis, and klipspringer. 

 This is supposed to exude moisture during grazing, which falls on the grass and 

 leaves a permanent trace, that can be scented and followed up by any member 

 wishing to catch up the herd. 



If such a gland is sexual in action it would serve the double purpose of leading 

 an animal to its possessor, and also, if acted on by sexual emotions, showing the 

 opposite sex that its presence was required. Other buck have glands in the groin, 

 of which the functions are seemingly unknown. They may be found in reedbuck 

 and in the gazelles, exuding a yellow, waxy secretion. Probably most or all of these 

 glands are sexual in function, and it is very likely that they may serve to lead the 

 sexes to each other when so required, by leaving a special scent on the path 

 traversed. A suggestive fact about these glands is that the face-glands appear to 

 be absent in animals having a very powerful smell. If this smell is for the purpose 

 of locating one another by scent it is probable that these face-glands are for the 

 same purpose, and supply the deficiency of a very powerful smell. 



Reedbuck and impala neither have any very noticeable smell nor do they 

 possess these face-glands, but in their place each appears to be endowed with 

 a special arrangement. The former have bare glandular patches behind the ears, 

 and the latter glands covered with hair on the pasterns. 



There is another little theory, sometimes exploited by the armchair naturalist, 

 in which I want to pick holes. I have often heard it remarked as wonderful 

 how Nature has supplied every animal with horns exactly suited to its mode of living, 

 and of the very best shape as a means of defence against its enemies. 



Now, the horns of hollow-horned ruminants are so diverse, and display such 

 a marvellous number of totally distinct forms, that they have practically exhausted 

 every conceivable shape and fashion. It would be almost impossible to sit down with 

 a pencil and piece of paper and devise a new shape of non-branching horn not 

 already possessed by one of these animals. Every horn of this vast array of 



