1 82 Great and Small Game of Africa 



always been confined to such a small area of country, would probably have 

 been exterminated early in the present century had it not been protected 

 by the Cape Government. Harris informs us that at the time of his visit 

 to South Africa in 1836-37 a fine of 500 rix dollars (£37 : 10s.) was 

 attached to the destruction of one of these animals, without a special license 

 from Government. 



In spite of stringent laws, however, there can be no doubt that many 

 bonteboks were annually killed, and, had it not been for Mr. Alexander 

 Van der Byl, this fine animal, one of the most strange and characteristic of 

 all South African antelopes, would probably ere now have vanished from 

 the face of the earth. In 1864, however, this gentleman, whilst engaged 

 in enclosing with a wire fence his far- extending domain, known as 

 Nachtwacht Farm, near Bredasdorp, conceived the idea of driving all the 

 bontebok on the neighbouring plain, within the enclosure. Circumstances 

 favoured him, and he was able, by a piece of good fortune, to drive the 

 greater number of all the bonteboks still left alive into his own ground, 

 within the enclosure. He puts the number that were thus secured at 

 something like 300, and his nephews believe that there has been but little 

 increase or decrease in their number since that time. I may not have seen all 

 the bonteboks at Nachtwacht, but it certainly did not appear to me that there 

 were anything like 300 of these animals on the enclosed ground at the date of 

 my visit in 1895, an d a g a i n in 1896. Mr. Van der Byl's good example 

 was followed by one of his neighbours, Dr. Albertyn, who also has now a 

 small herd of bonteboks on his enclosed farm. Besides these carefully 

 protected herds, there are a few still surviving on the plain, outside the 

 enclosed farms, both in the neighbourhood of Bredasdorp, and near the 

 village of Swellendam. Altogether, I doubt very much whether more 

 than 300 of these animals are still in existence. In habits the bontebok is 

 precisely similar to the blesbok, and it is therefore needless to add anything 

 on this head to what has already been written in the section concerning that 



