THE BONTEBOK 



or defective in any way, otherwise in the semi- 

 confined conditions under which they have now to 

 exist, inbreeding would cause their constitution 

 to become so deteriorated that they would not sur- 

 vive the. severeness of the periodical droughts. You 

 can constantly see the stronger at work driving away 

 and not infrequently killing off the weaker ones, 

 so that there is no fear that a not fully-matured 

 buck or an old buck on which age is telling on its 

 vitality will be bred from. The very large pro- 

 portion of male buck in the herds is attributed 

 to too much inbreeding. This problem I am hope- 

 ful of solving in a few years' time, as I am now crossing 

 at Pattenberg the Bontebok of the south with the 

 Blesbok of the Free State, and the first result was a 

 female." 



The Bontebok, like its near neighbour the Blesbok, 

 is by nature an inhabitant of the plains, and subsists 

 on the stunted bushes and coarse grass with which 

 they are covered. The herbage in the Bredasdorp 

 Division to which they are now confined consists 

 of rhenoster bush-heather and coarse grass. 



When making off they run in single file, usually 

 up-wind with their heads held low. 



The period of gestation of this animal is from 

 nine to ten months. The fawns at birth have no 

 white blaze on the face, or white body and leg 

 markings as in the adults. 



The Bontebok no doubt was formerly a local 

 variety of the Blesbok, which owing to the nature 

 13 



