Jackson's Hartebeest 159 



about feeding or lying down, almost invariably takes up its post on one 

 of these heaps. 



I remember once coming suddenly across a good-sized herd lying down 

 in a hollow on the Mau downs, but was seen by the sentinel, and they were 

 up and away before I could do anything. As I felt pretty sure by the 

 way they went off that they would not go far, I gave them plenty of time, 

 as I thought, to settle down again, and smoked a pipe in the meanwhile. 

 On following them up I found them in a position which, under ordinary 

 circumstances, would have entailed a stalk of sufficient difficulty to make it 

 pleasurably exciting, had it not been that there were no less than four 

 sentinels all standing on one large ant-heap with their heads towards the 

 four points of the compass. With so many long- and quick-sighted beasts 

 to deal with, my attempt to outwit them was, needless to say, a fruitless one. 

 This was years ago ; since then I have learned wisdom, and whenever I 

 find game in such an unapproachable position after once being disturbed, 

 I invariably send one of my gun-bearers off to some distant point to attract 

 their attention whilst I make the stalk from some other point, which, if 

 the wind and other conditions will permit, is never from the direction of 

 their line of retreat. 



The measurements and weights of a bull and cow are as follows : — 

 Bull, total length, 7 feet ioJ, inches ; height at shoulder, 4 feet 3 J inches ; 

 tail, 1 foot 71 inches ; weight, 405 lbs. Cow, total length, 7 feet j{ 

 inches ; height, 4 feet A inch ; tail, 1 foot $\ inches ; weight, 341 lbs. 



The cows drop their young from February to April, but there is no 

 doubt that a few odd ones drop them throughout the year. They have 

 only two teats. The rutting season is towards the end of May and 

 beginning of June. p j j ACKSON , 



