254 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



all vegetation before them like locusts. So huge were their numbers 

 that the rear-guard of the great herd were always in a famishing 

 state ; while tales are told of the Lion himself being carried away 

 in the midst of the troop, unable to do more than keep a clear space 

 among his unwilling escort, and of Sheep and shepherds, caught by 

 the " trek-bokken " in narrow passes where there was no escape, and 

 trampled to death. It is doubtful if any animal of the size has ever 

 been so abundant ; now matters are so changed that the creature, once 

 so serious a pest, receives protection, for in moderation it is a very 

 desirable animal. In addition to its great activity, it is very swift, 

 being usually too much for a Greyhound ; and it also has sufficient 

 courage to turn and fight the Dog when by chance it is overtaken. 

 A great many are, of course, shot, though not without careful stalking, 

 and the venison, which is very good, is regularly on sale at Cape Town 

 when in season, and has even been offered on the London markets, 

 having been brought over in cold storage. 



The Springbok is not unfamiliar in captivity, and has bred in 

 the Cologne Zoological Gardens, but it is not a very hardy animal, 

 and probably requires more space for exercise than it usually gets. 



Except that none of them have the peculiar " fan " of the Spring- 

 bok, and that their colours are generally less rich, the rest of the 

 -Gazelles, which number about two dozen species, are fairly well typi- 

 fied by that animal. Their range is very wide, including all of the 

 -open parts of Africa — though there are no others but the Springbok 

 south of the Zambesi — and extending into Asia as far as India and 

 even Tibet. The animal known in the Authorised Version of the 

 Bible as " Roe " is really one of the Gazelles (Gazella dorcas). In a 

 few Gazelles, it should be noted, the does are hornless, but usually 

 they have small horns. Two or three abnormal types of Gazelle deserve 

 notice here on account of their peculiarities. 



THE DIBATAG 



(Ammodorcas clarkei) 



This is a very slender, long-necked, graceful Gazelle, confined to East Central 

 Somaliland. The tail is long and slender, and there are no horns in the female. 

 When on the move this animal endeavours to make both ends meet by carrying 



