The Bontebok 177 



thought that all the blesboks he subsequently met with were bonteboks, 

 until on his journey southwards through the plains lying between the Vaal 

 and Orange rivers he found that what he thought were bonteboks were 

 called blesboks by many of the Dutch farmers. That at one time he was 

 hopelessly confused between the two species his opening paragraph concern- 

 ing the bontebok proves, I think, beyond a doubt. It reads as follows : 

 "Upon the ocean-like and untrodden prairies of the interior— those 

 especially lying south of the Vaal River, of which large tracts are strongly 

 impregnated with saline particles — the incredible numbers of the pied 

 antelope (bontebok), and of its still gayer congener the blesbok, that are 

 frequently congregated, etc." 



As the bontebok is much more richly coloured than the blesbok, it seems 

 inconceivable that Captain Harris could have written thus if he was then 

 acquainted with both species. On his return to the Cape Colony he seems 

 to have been still doubtful on the point, for he says he was then " anxious 

 to ascertain whether the animal rigorously protected in the neighbourhood 

 of Cape Agulhas differed in any respect from that found in the interior, 

 as pretended by the Colonists." 



Captain Harris succeeded in obtaining three specimens of the true 

 bontebok at Zoetendals Vley near Cape Agulhas, and says that " these 

 proved amply sufficient to satisfy not only my own curiosity, but my 

 inclination for such sport." Unfortunately he totally omits to men- 

 tion whether or no the bonteboks which he shot near Cape Agulhas 

 were identical or not with the animals previously obtained in the interior 

 which he had supposed to be bonteboks. Even if taken by itself, the 

 evidence of Captain Harris concerning the distribution of the bontebok is 

 far from convincing ; but when we find his assertion that the animal 

 existed on the plains of the Orange Free State in incredible numbers in 1837 

 is not borne out by the testimony of any other European traveller or 

 hunter, nor by any of the original Boer pioneers, who trekked into that 



