320 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 



Central Africa. It is found in the regions which border tbo 

 colony of the Cape, and is called blessbock by the Dutch. 

 In manners it resembles the gnu, and lives in small families 

 of seven or eight. 



The springer antelope {A. cuchon) is named springbock 

 by the Dutch. It inhabits the plains of Southern and Cen- 

 tral Africa, and assembles in vast flocks during its migra- 

 tory movements. " These migrations, which are said to 

 take place in their most numerous fonn only at the intervals 

 of several years, appear to come from the north-east, and in 

 masses of many thousands, devouring, like locusts, every 

 green herb. The lion has been seen to migrate, and walk 

 in the midst of the compressed phalanx, with only as much 

 space between him and his victims as the fears of those im- 

 mediately around could procure by pressing outwards. Th« 

 foremost of these vast columns are fat, and the rear exceed 

 ingly lean, while the direction continues one way ; but 

 with the change of the monsoon, when they return towards 

 the north, the rear become the leaders, fattening in their 

 turn, and leaving the others to star\'e, and to be devoured 

 by the numerous enemies who follow their march. At all 

 times when impelled by fear, either of the hunter or the 

 beast of prey darting among the flock, but principally when 

 the herds are assembled in countless multitudes, so that an 

 alarm cannot spread rapidly and open the means of flight, 

 they are pressed against each other, and their anxiety to es- 

 cape impels them to bound up in the air, showing, at the 

 same time, the white spot on the croup dilated by the eflfort, 

 and closing again in their descent, and producing that beauti- 

 ful effect from which they have obtained the nan)e of 

 Springer and Showy-bock." — Griffith's Animal Kingdom^ 

 vol. iv. p. 209. 



The kevel {A. kevella) is nearly all ied to the dorcas, but 

 does not appear to occur to the north of the Atlas, with the 

 exception, perhaps, of the western coast of Morocco. In 

 Central Africa, across the banks of the Congo, and south- 

 wards as far as the country of the CafTres, it forms nu- 

 merous flocks. The pallah {A. melampus) is a beautiful 

 species, mentioned by Lichtenstein. It is described as a 

 model of elegance and vigour, and is a native of Caffraria, 

 especially the BosLuana country. It never appears to the 

 south of the Koorges Valley The klipspringer {A, ore(^ 



