1 86 Great and Small Game of Africa 



the confusion became for generations perpetuated. As Mr. Selous, after much 

 personal research, has now demonstrated, the bontebok has in modern times 

 — since the Dutch entered South Africa — never been known in any other 

 habitat than the Division of Swellendam, in the south-west of Cape Colony. 1 



The original habitat of the blesbok may be defined as the northern 

 karroos of Cape Colony, the Orange Free State plains, the Transvaal High 

 Veldt, a portion of the rolling grass plains of the country now known as 

 Griqualand West, and British Bechuanaland, the latter of which, it may be 

 explained, marches with the western border of the lower portion of the 

 Transvaal. So far as I can ascertain, this antelope seldom, if ever, ranged 

 north of the Molopo River, which forms practically the northern boundary 

 of British Bechuanaland. The blesbok's habitat was, as is so often the case 

 with South African animals, curiously and even capriciously restricted. I 

 do not find that the range of the animal in Bechuanaland has ever tended 

 very far westward from the Transvaal border, though there seems no 

 absolute reason why the blesbok should not have roamed widely into the 

 adjacent Kalahari, which is practically identical in character with the more 

 settled portion of British Bechuanaland. Nor in the Cape Colony had the 

 blesbok, apparently, a very wide range. In no books of travel have I ever 

 found mention of this animal upon the northern plains much westward 

 of the present division of Colesberg, though there seems to be no sound 

 reason why the vast herds of these once innumerable antelopes should not 

 have trekked in their migrations westward into the great springbuck 

 country still known as Bushmanland. 



At the present time, such has been the senseless slaughter waged 

 against these fecund and splendid antelopes, blesboks are now growing very 

 scarce, and their habitat has been very greatly circumscribed. They have 

 long vanished from the Cape Colony, probably for at least thirty years 



to Cornwallis Harris's descriptions— that bonteboks were once found in the Orange Free State and the 

 northern plains of Cape Colony. Mr. Selous has quite convinced me to the contrary. 



