136 LICHTENSTEIN'S HARTEBEESTE 



had covered almost, if not quite, a quarter of a 

 mile before we almost stumbled over him lying 

 at his last gasp in a patch of high stipa 

 grass. 



On examination, I found that my first shot 

 carried a little high, but would have proved fatal 

 in the end, as it had pierced the lung. My second, 

 however, a Jeffery split bullet, had entered near 

 the root of the tail, and had practically passed 

 through the entire length of the unfortunate beast's 

 body. It will thus be seen that, with one mortal 

 wound and a second if anything severer one, this 

 hartebeeste had nevertheless succeeded in tra- 

 versing a surprising distance before finally suc- 

 cumbing to them. This was an exceptionally 

 fine beast, and measured just under 52 inches at 

 the shoulder. 



Lichtenstein hartebeestes are the only members 

 of that family of seven or eight species found in 

 the Portuguese Province of Mozambique. The 

 remaining seven are scattered all over Africa, from 

 Bechuanaland in the south to the Bahr-el-Ghazal 

 in the north. There is, however, a strong family 

 resemblance among the different branches, and 

 no special knowledge is necessary to enable the 

 sportsman readily to identify them. Here, more- 

 over, is another instance of astonishing gregarious- 

 ness. Hartebeeste are quite as frequently as not 

 found with zebra or wildebeeste, and I have more 

 than once seen them accompanying a herd of 

 sable. In these circumstances they are a nuisance, 

 which frequently prevents, or renders most 

 difficult, a successful approach to the more im- 



