Buffon's Kob Z93 



to them, lying up after feeding in compact bodies as far as possible from 

 the edge of surrounding bush. It does not appear to trouble about shade 

 even at mid-day, and lies out in the full glare of the sun on the hard-baked 

 ground, which in itself is often hot enough to scorch the feet of the native. 



In hunting the kob when herding together, the great difficulty is to get 

 within shot. When feeding they scatter a little, and then it is more often 

 possible to get within range of an outlying party containing a decent head ; 

 but when lying up, unless they have made the mistake of lying up close to 

 a patch of bush, it is almost useless to try to get a head. They lie so close 

 together that it is impossible to single out a head from any distance beyond 

 100 yards, and they will not, at the best of times, suffer an approach nearer 

 than 200 yards. But though herding together as a rule, a solitary buck, or 

 a pair, is frequently met with on the edge of the swamps. With these lies 

 the best chance of getting a head. The buck can be watched feeding along 

 until he gets into such a position as to give the sportsman a chance of 

 creeping up within shot, and the stalk can then be carried out with little 

 or no difficulty. 



The kob is not a very suspicious or wary animal, and what suspicions 

 it may have are somewhat easily allayed in the case of single animals. 

 More than once I have knelt in full view of a buck, and by dint of 

 remaining absolutely rigid have so soothed its suspicions that it has fed 

 right up to within 50 yards and given me an excellent shot. I have also 

 heard of a doe similarly feeding up to within 10 yards of a sportsman who 

 knelt and remained immovable. 



When alarmed and set going, the kob flies off at a leaping gallop, 

 springing over every little obstacle, such as a tuft of high grass, with 

 remarkable ease and much superabundant energy. It will clear a height 

 of 6 feet in a bound without any apparent effort, and appears to delight in 

 the mere act of jumping. 1 It gets through a tract of the thick dry jungle 



1 This traic is very like that of the lechwc, farther south.— Ed. 



