APPENDICES 45 i 



of Nakuru, all over Laikipia country, everywhere on Nzoia 

 plateau, they are to be found. 



One bull is now allowed on a licence, a second can be 

 shot on payment of seventy-five rupees. 



They are a magnificent animal. The largest bulls 

 must, I think, weigh 2,000 pounds. A twenty-five 

 inch horn is a fair specimen. They are sometimes 

 hard to approach, sometimes very easy. You can 

 always ride them down if you are well mounted. 

 They have a strange habit of kicking up behind (a 

 very high kick) when they receive the ball. The bulls 

 are easily distinguished from the cows (which are pro- 

 tected) by their darker blue colour, and by their much 

 heavier build. 



Wildesbeest or Gnu: 



A strange antelope. Far more like a small buffalo 

 (American) than an antelope. They travel in lines, and 

 whisk their tails, just as our buffalo used to do. Plentiful 

 on the Athi plains, and in all the country south of the 

 railroad. Sometimes rather hard to stalk. If shot too far 

 back they will take a lot of following. Shot forward, they 

 drop at once. Two are allowed. 



Oryx: 



Very plentiful on Laikipia plateau. You are allowed 

 two. If you want good heads take some time and examine 

 the heads well before shooting. I found the horns par- 

 ticularly hard to judge. Thirty-three inches are not uncom- 

 mon. But if care is not taken you will shoot much shorter 

 specimens. Keep your legs free from the sweep of the very 

 sharp and dangerous horns. They weigh up to 450 pounds. 



The fringed-ear oryx is a distinct species. Can be 

 shot near Simba, east of Nairobi. 



Impala: 



One of the most beautiful of all African antelopes. 

 Widely distributed, easy of approach. I have found it 



