NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



of the animal, viz. T'gnu, given in imitation of the 

 bellowing snort of the old bulls. This Gnu was 

 subsequently called the Zwart Wildebeest by the 

 Dutch Voortrekkers, which means Black Wild Beast, 

 or more correctly the Black Wild Ox. The word 

 Wildebeest is pronounced Vil-de-beast. 



The Black Wildebeest in former days inhabited 

 the Karoo of the Cape, high-veld of the Orange 

 Free State, and the southern half of the Transvaal, 

 in herds of from a dozen to fifty and even more. 

 Early writers describe them as existing in immense 

 numbers, the veld being covered with herds of them 

 as far as the horizon, peacefully grazing in the com- 

 pany of the Wild Ostrich and Zebra. The inevitable 

 result of the advance of civilisation was the wholesale 

 destruction of these great herds of Wildebeest, and 

 to-day this wonderfully interesting animal is extinct 

 in the wild or feral condition, except perhaps in 

 South- West Africa, where a few may still survive. 



Some of the progressive farmers in the Orange 

 Free State and Transvaal preserved small herds 

 on their farms. Owing to the long-continued in- 

 breeding most of the herds were diminishing in 

 numbers. When the late South African War began 

 it was the general opinion that the big game would 

 be practically exterminated in those districts which 

 were the seats of Military Operations. However, 

 it proved to be the very reverse, for, owing to the 

 destruction of fences, the Wildebeest, Blesbok and 

 Springbok broke loose and spread over the country, 



