134 SAVAGE SUDAN 



and hardly feed so late ; still, all three live within a few 

 hundred yards of each other, and while some are pestered 

 to distraction, the others seem almost immune. 



I will close this chapter with another instance of 

 the value of immobility. Near Meshra-el-Zeraf, Baraka 

 and I were skirting a long straight stretch of mimosa 

 bush, when a rustling inside the covert brought us to 

 an instant standstill. Then appeared the horns of a 

 waterbuck pushing its way through the outmost thorns. 

 It emerged only 40 yards ahead of where we two stood 

 in the open, yet it never saw us and unconcernedly 

 commenced grazing. Once, between mouthfuls, it turned 

 its head still chewing and gazed full-face towards us. 

 Even then no realisation ensued. Our impersonation 

 of two dead stumps may have been very artistic ; but 

 that I do not regard as the real reason. 



As trophies, the Sudan waterbuck do not excel. 

 Fine heads no doubt exist, but such are relatively rare. 

 Friends of mine have shot examples that exceed 30 inches 

 the best, 33 inches but not one of the many that 

 came under my personal observation could be estimated 

 at as much as 30 inches. Cows seem to outnumber bulls 

 by four or five to one. 



Waterbuck calves at first are very dark in colour 

 almost black and during the early months of their lives 

 are left alone, hidden in the deep grass, their mothers 

 apparently only visiting them at night. This darker 

 colour is retained for some time ; the older the animal 

 the lighter he becomes. 



SADDLE-BILLED JABIRU ON WING. 



