WITH FLASH-LIGHT AND RIFLE 



mountains, especially to stalk the koodoo. I found a 

 few solitary koodoos on slopes covered with euphorbia, 

 and once a herd consisting of four cows and a buck. 

 The latter I shot. 



The animals were very shy, hiding during the day 

 among the bushes and grazing only in the early morning 

 on the mountain slopes, where grass and fresh leaves 

 were scanty, as the dryness of the season was reheved 

 only by an occasional rainfall. 



It was extremely difficult to stalk the shy koodoo in 

 the heat of the day on the stony and rocky ground cov- 

 ered with thorny vegetation. Almost in every hut I 

 found one or more muzzle-loaders, which, no doubt, ac- 

 counts for the scarcity of the koodoo in these parts. The 

 only other part of the Masai district where I observed the 

 koodoo was in the neighborhood of the.Gilei volcano. 

 But no doubt it lives also on the mountain slopes near 

 the natron lake, as the natives of Nguruman possess 

 numerous "bagurmas" (signal-horns) made out of the 

 horns of the koodoo. It also exists still in the southern 

 part of 'German East Africa, whence an officer of the 

 protective troops brought me a number of horns of 

 koodoos killed by his Askari near Tabora. 



Much more numerous in East Africa than the large 

 koodoo is the smaller species (Strepsiceros imherhis 

 Blyth.), which, however, is found only here and there, 

 in suitable localities. The Masai call it "o'ssiram," 

 the Wandorobbo, "njaigo." 



280 



