84 THE MAMMALS OF ETHIOPIAN AFRICA 



moderate width, bluntly pointed at the tip, and tubular for a considerable distance 

 at the base ; most of the long hairs on the inner edges being white, as is also much 

 of the inner surface of the outer margin. The white markings include a not very 

 distinct chevron between the eyes, the usual tragelaphine patches on the sides of 

 the muzzle and chin, a pair of spots on each side of the face below the eye, and a 

 smaller and fainter one behind the same, a narrow but deep gorget on the throat, 

 and a much wider but less deep band of a more lunate shape on the upper part 

 of the chest. A curved row of nine spots — some of which are fainter than the 

 rest — extends from a point about over the head of the thigh-bone to the back of 

 the lower part of the shoulder. There is another white spot on each side of the 

 buttocks. The inner surface of the thighs and of the upper portion of the fore-legs 

 is dirty white ; a white area occupies the back of each fore-leg below the knee, 

 extending on to the outer and inner surfaces of the limb, but not reaching the 

 pastern ; and a somewhat similar patch occurs on the hind-leg, extending slightly 

 above the hock. There is a pair of white oval spots on each fetlock some distance 

 above the hoof. 



In the head of a much older buck the horns, which are of greater length, 

 form about one turn and a quarter, and have a more upright direction than in the 

 type specimen ; in both of which respects they are more nyala-like. Although 

 the buck to which this head belonged was a member of the same herd as the type, 

 the coat is considerably longer and looser, especially on the throat, where it forms 

 an incipient fringe. The colour is also darker and greyer, being a greyish brown, 

 comparable to that of a waterbuck. The face is darker, the whole of the lower 

 portion being chocolate-brown like that of the forehead, and the tan restricted to 

 the area round the eye, behind which is a small white patch. In consequence of 

 the darker colour of the rest of the face, the white frontal chevron is much more 

 conspicuous than in the type specimen ; and the upper throat-patch or gorget is 

 also very conspicuous, and is continued by means of scattered white hairs almost 

 to the lower gorget. The body-skin of a similar buck differs from that of the 

 type in its longer and darker hair and the greater development of the dorsal crest, 

 as well as in the presence of two indistinct vertical white stripes on the hind- 

 quarters, with faint traces of a still shorter third one. In this respect the specimen 

 makes a further approximation to the nyala. Taking all its characteristics into 

 consideration, the mountain nyala appears to come nearest to the species from 

 which it takes its name, although in the general form of the head and the character 

 of the tail it is distinctly kudu-like. It tends to connect the bushbuck group 

 so closely with the kudus as to render the generic separation of the latter from 

 Tragelaphus inadvisable. 



From both the preceding species the situtunga, or nakong (T. spekei), differs 

 by the great elongation of the hoofs, in adaptation to a half-aquatic life among 

 the papyrus-swamps on the borders of the great lakes and rivers of the equatorial 

 districts. In the typical situtunga of the Victoria Nyanza and adjacent districts 

 of east central Africa the long, coarse coat of the full-grown bucks is uniform 

 greyish brown, but that of the does is rufous with faint indications of striping. 

 In the situtunga of the Zambesi (T. s. selousi) both sexes are of the same greyish 

 brown colour ; but in the West African (T. s. gratus) the ground-colour is grey in 



