THE BLACK WILDEBEEST 



comparatively few falling victims to Boer or Briton. 

 By the time the war was ended the various herds 

 had interbred so freely that the danger was averted — 

 of deterioration and gradual extinction due to in- 

 breeding — ^which threatened the isolated herds on 

 farms remote from each other. From enquiries 

 recently made it is apparent that the Black Wilde- 

 beest has been increasing rapidly in numbers, and 

 bids fair to become one of the domestic food animals 

 of man. 



Every season the herds are thinned out, the meat 

 commanding a good price as venison, or in the form 

 of biltong. 



An animal dealer of my acquaintance has for 

 some years been in the habit of shipping Black 

 Wildebeest to various over-sea Zoological Gardens. 



A Voortrekker friend who passed most of his days 

 in fighting the savage native hordes, and in hunting 

 lions and various other wild animals, used to relate 

 to me his experiences, and said; in the early days 

 the plains were teeming with game animals of various 

 species. He and his friends made a business of 

 collecting the hides of large antelopes, trekked to 

 the nearest trading-station and bartered them for 

 groceries, clothing and other requirements. He 

 related that on one occasion he and his friends pene- 

 trated a district where the Wildebeest had hitherto 

 been unmolested, and so unsuspicious were they 

 that sufficient of them were killed to load up five 

 wagons with their hides. The horns at that time 



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