484 Great and Small Game of Africa 



Southern Race (Trage/aphus scriplus sy/vatia/s l ) 



Bosch-bok of the Boers; Inkonka (<*), Imhabala (?), of the Zulus; 

 Imbabala (both sexes) of the Swazis and Matonga ; Ibabala of 

 the Basuto ; Ibawara of Lower Zambesi Natives. 



This well-known antelope varies so much in coloration in different 

 parts of the country, and even in very limited areas, that, interesting though 

 the subject is, it cannot be dealt with fully here. Roughly speaking, I may 

 consider it as inhabiting four great districts, and differing in appearance in 

 each. That of the Cape Colony is the darkest, being deep brownish-black, 

 at a distance appearing quite black. There are a few white spots on the 

 haunches and flanks, perhaps twelve to fifteen, and from two to four very 

 faintly outlined stripes over the back and loins. 2 The Natal and east coast 

 bushbuck is deep brownish-gray, with a few more spots and somewhat 

 better defined stripes. In the Eastern and Northern Transvaal and in 

 Gazaland the ground-colour of the fur is deep brownish-gray, warmer on the 

 head and lower limbs, with eighteen to twenty-five spots on shoulder, 

 flanks, and haunches, and three or four fairly defined stripes. On bushbuck 

 from the Lower Zambesi the stripes and spots are similarly arranged, but 

 on a dark red ground, while, as Mr. Selous has shown, the beautiful Chobi 



1 I cannot agree with the present designation, Tragelaphus scriptus, often applied to the South-East 

 African bushbuck, and think the old syhaticus should be restored, with T. syhaticus roualeyni as 

 designating the Chobi River variety.* The North African harnessed antelope alone would retain 

 the designation Tragelaphus scriptus. 



- The description of the Cape Colony bushbuck given in the Royal Natural History, vol. ii. p. 278, is 

 misleading. It reads thus : — "Lastly, we have the true bushbuck of the Cape, in which the coloration 

 is a uniform dark brown at all ages (the italics arc mine) with no trace of stripes" . . . Why is the Cape 

 representative the " true bushbuck " ? Admitting the colour to be dark brown, it is certainly not so 

 "at all ages" any more than in both sexes. The young rams are pale reddish-brown in colour, very 

 many shades lighter than the adults. Every bushbuck has more or less clearly denned stripes. Those 

 of the Colony arc no exception, though the stripings arc very faint. 



' Mr. Ly.lekker h;i< re'tore.l the syh-atics. Mr. Kirby is, I think, in error .is reerinb the Chubi River v.iriety, which belongs 



