41 o Great and Small Game of Africa 



roan antelope bull becomes a fierce and savage animal, and if brought to bay 

 is more prone to charge, I think, than a sable antelope under like conditions. 



I have seen several determined charges made by these animals, and have 

 known one to gore a horse through the thigh. They are dangerous 

 antagonists, too, if attacked by dogs ; but although their shorter horns look 

 better adapted for use than the long curved weapons wielded by the sable 

 antelope, I have never seen such havoc wrought by them amongst a pack 

 of dogs as by one of the latter animals. 



When badly wounded they lie down, and, when assegais are thrown at 

 them, often give vent to shrill squealing cries, whilst striking at the shafts 

 of the spears that have wounded them. 



Though amongst the finest of African antelopes, the roan antelope 

 somehow lacks the bold and noble carriage of his near relative the sable. 

 He is a larger animal, a good bull standing about 4 feet 9 inches at the 

 withers, but he does not possess the great arched neck surmounted by the 

 heavy mane, nor the long sweeping horns and rich dark colouring of the 

 latter animal. The roan antelope has only a short hog mane of reddish- 

 brown. His ears, which in the cows are surmounted with tufts of 

 brownish-black hair, are immensely long, and the black and white markings 

 of his face are very handsome and striking. The horns in the roan rise 

 straight from the skull just above the eyes, and curve backwards as in the 

 sable antelope. In the old bulls they are very massive, rounded, and deeply 

 annulated to within a few inches of the points, which are sometimes very 

 sharp. In length the horns of the bulls average about 28 inches, and of 

 the cows about 22 to 24 inches. 



Anything over 30 inches is unusually good. I have seen two pairs shot 

 that measured 33 inches over the curve, and another of 32^ inches. 1 The 

 longest pair of bull horns that I ever shot myself measure 32^ inches ; 



1 The longest pair mentioned in Reonls of Big Game measure 35 inches over the curve. Another 

 pair, procured by Major Goold-Adams from the Okavango River, measure 34^ inches— En. 



