1890.] ANTELOPKS OF NYASA-LAND. 651 



up the country for whites ; the past, however, except for Bandawe and 

 possibly Mweniwanda's, has done practically nothing, while the loss 

 of human life has been proportionately enormous. 



I now proceed to give my notes on the Antelopes that I have met 

 with in Nyasa-land : — 



1. COBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. 



The Water-buck is by far the commonest of those Antelopes 

 which go in lierds, and it would be hard to set foot anywhere in 

 Nyasa-land — except, of course, in the immediate vicinity of large 

 villages, or in the very precipitous country which in places rises 

 sheer out of the Lake — where these animals are not to be seen in 

 greater or less numbers. There is only the one species, I take it, 

 C. ellipsiprymnus ; but in this I have noticed variety, animals fre- 

 quenting the open plains being rather lighter in colour than those 

 of the wooded highlands where they are often found. The natives 

 seemingly only recognize the one species, known as the " Nakodzwi" 

 or " Nyakodzwi " of the Ajawa and of the Anyanja, the " Ipiva " 

 of the Angoni, the " Chuzu " of the Achewa, Atonga, Atembuka, 

 Ahenga, and Anyika (Apoka), and the '' Lipuwa" of the Ankonde. 



All over Nyasa-land, as I have said. Water-buck are plentiful, 

 and it would be almost impossible to enumerate every locality where 

 I have seen them ; I can, however, note a few places where they 

 have appeared to be most numerous. 



On the west coast, to the north of Cape Maclear and about a 

 day's journey west of Mpemba's, I saw great numbers in September 

 and October, 1885. I was at that time hunting Elephants, and the 

 Water-buck proved a positive nuisance, since they constantly ran in 

 on the former and put them on the qui-vive. To the north of 

 " Chombi " or " Piri Ngoma " {Anglici, Mt. Waller), and between 

 it and the Hara River, I saw immense herds, and from there again 

 right away to the foot of the Wa-kinga Mountains to the north-west 

 of the Lake, a distance of some 130 miles, I was scarcely ever out of 

 sight of Water-buck or their spoor, when I made the journey in 

 1889. 



In the vast swamps of Kisako and Kisali, at the foot of the 

 Wa-kinga Mountains, I saw more Water-buck than I have seen any- 

 where, except on the plains of the Shir^ river. 



On the East Coast I came across a few in 1887, in the hills bor- 

 dering the Lake, to the south of Chiteji's ; here the country is rocky 

 and precipitous right down to the water, but there is a small belt of 

 reeds, if no swamp. Water-buck are always found in greatest num- 

 bers on large swampy plains overgrown with coarse grass, tall reeds, 

 and papyrus, where in the wet season it is almost im.possible to get 

 at them ; unlike other Antelopes, except the Reed-buck, they do not 

 appear to leave the lowlands in the rains, but keep to the plains all 

 the year round ; apparently they revel in almost impassable swamps 

 where only Elephants, Buffaloes, and Reed-bucks care to stay, and I 

 have occasioually followed them in mud and water almost waist- 



