426 Great and Small Game of Africa 



as richly marked as the real Taurotragus oryx livingstonei, which was first 

 observed by Dr. Livingstone at Sesheke, immediately north of the Central 

 Zambesi. Thus, speaking from my own experience, I should say that all 

 the elands found in South Africa at the present day south of the 23rd parallel 

 of latitude are gray elands [Taurotragus oryx typicus) ; but that north of that 

 parallel of latitude a tendency to show white stripes on each side of the body, 

 and dark patches on the insides of the fore-legs, together with a dark median 

 line down the centre of the back, from the withers to the tail, commences. 

 I would say further that this tendency is at first confined to certain indi- 

 viduals, but becomes more general, and the white stripes and dark markings 

 gradually more intensified in individuals as one travels north and north- 

 east, until north of the Zambesi and in Mashunaland and all over South- 

 Eastern Africa all the elands are striped without exception, and all of 

 them show black patches on the insides of the fore-legs, and a dark mark 

 down the centre of the back, and often a white arrow-shaped mark across 

 the nose, as in the koodoo and bushbuck. 



After an eland bull has attained his full standing height at the shoulder 

 — probably when about five or six years of age — he still continues to grow 

 enormously in bulk, the neck especially becoming so large that when an 

 old eland bull lies dead on the ground the huge swell of the upper side of 

 the neck is liable to give one the idea that the animal must have been 

 suffering from a tumour. Here are a few carefully-taken measurements 

 of the eland bull now in the Mammalia Gallery of the Natural History 

 Museum at South Kensington : — 



" Standing height at withers, 5 feet 9 inches. Girth of neck, midway 

 between jaw and shoulder, 5 feet 1 inch. Depth of body measured over 

 the curve behind the shoulder from the withers to the middle of chest, 

 4 feet 1 inch. Breadth of chest between the fore-legs, I foot 2 inches." 

 These last three measurements were taken on the naked carcase after the 

 skin had been removed. 



