292 CAPT. II. K. DFN>* ON the [Jane 18, 



The expedition left Oindurman in December 1899 and returned 

 early in May 1900, and as I had received only a few weeks' notice of 

 my appointment to the expedition, I had very little time for making 

 preparations, and had no idea that any of the Antelopes we might 

 meet would be particularly interesting from a scientific point of 

 view. 



Having remained almost the whole five months at the Base Camp, 

 on the right bank, within a few miles of the junction of the Bahr- 

 el-Zeraf with the White Nile, I had much better opportunities of 

 shooting than the other members of the expedition, who were 

 mostly engaged in working on the sudd itself. The season being an 

 exceptionally dry one we had good sport ; and as most of the game 

 was secured in much the same sort of country, I may as well 

 describe what it was like in and around our Base Camp. The 

 Base Camp was situated at Gabt-el-Megahid, on the right bank, 

 six miles north of the junction of the Bahr-el-Zeraf with the White 

 Nile, and was pitched in the midst of a patch of red-gum scrub 

 interspersed with larger trees. This site was chosen, as fuel for 

 the steamers was our main object. The jungle extended more or 

 less thickly for seven or eight miles along the bank, with an average 

 depth of from a quarter to half-a-mile. Outside the jungle stretched 

 an undulating plain, as far as the eye could reach, covered by coarse 

 brown grass averaging from a few inches to 2 or 3 feet in height, 

 but in few places affording much cover for stalking purposes. 



In the rainy season, of course, these conditions are greatly 

 changed, and from all accounts the grass is then several feet high 

 and the whereabouts of game is only to be ascertained by climbing 

 trees. 



On the bank opposite to our camp the country was somewhat 

 different, as the ground was more low-lying, and the grass was longer 

 and higher and afforded excellent cover. Stalking was difficult 

 owing to the numerous low-lying strips of land containing water 

 (khors) and mud. The natives of the country, Shuluks, burn the 

 grass as soon as the dry-season has set in, and these fires were in 

 full swing on our arrival. 



The following were the Antelopes that I met with : — 



1. Damaliscus tiang. (The Tiang.) ' 



Several large herds of this Antelope were seen on the left bank 

 between El Duern and Fashoda, but it was well into January before 

 I personally secured a specimen. My best heads carried horns 

 of 22 and 22g inches, but I subsequently saw one of 23 inches. 

 The horns of the female are lighter and more slender, and appar- 

 ently average from 12 to 16 inches. The herds were generally 

 met with in the drier ground, and, as is the case with most 

 Antelopes, coming down to water in the evening or moving up 

 from the river as the sun rose. Even with the aid of good field- 

 glasses, I always found it exceedingly difficult to distinguish males 

 from females, except that, if I remember correctly, the males vrere 

 1 Scl. & Thorn. Bk. of Ant i. p. 63. 



