XXV 



ANTELOPES OF EAST AFRICA 



LUDWIG HECK says, in his book The Animal King- 

 ^dom, any genuine horned animal, not a goat, a 

 sheep, or an ox, is an antelope. 



Under this definition are included the numerous 

 species of horned animals found in the East African 

 steppe, among which two stand out prominently by 

 their size and strength — the large koodoo (Strepszceros 

 strepsiceros Pall), the "ormalu" of the Masai, and 

 the eland antelope (Oreas livingstoni Sclat.), called 

 "o'ssirwa" by the Masai and "mpofu" b}^ the coast- 

 land tribes. 



The koodoo, whose male has the largest and stoutest 

 horns among all the African antelopes, inhabits moun- 

 tainous regions, and is rarely found in the Masai dis- 

 trict. It is less rare in parts of Unyamwesi, and I 

 have a pair of gigantic "record" horns from the farther 

 regions of Useguha. 



According to O. Neumann, the koodoo, while rare, is 

 yet to be found in the Tare Mountains. In 1899 I 

 made an excursion from the Pangani River into these 



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