THE ANTELOPES 225 
a length of from 26 to 34 inches. In the female the horns are shorter and slighter, and 
not so strongly ringed. 
Roan antelope are usually met with in small herds of from six to a dozen members, and 
never congregate in large numbers. I do not think I have ever counted as many as thirty 
together. I have found them fairly common in certain districts, but nowhere very plentiful. 
They frequent open plains and thinly forested country, and are never found far away from water. 
Bucks often become savage when wounded, and will sometimes charge viciously if approached 
incautiously. They can use their horns with great dexterity, and play havoc with a pack of dogs. 
The SABLE ANTELOPE, though considerably smaller than the roan, is yet a handsomer 
animal. In colour the adult male, when in high condition, is jet-black all over with the 
exception of the white face-markings and the snow-white of the belly and insides of the 
thighs. The mane is longer and more bushy than in the roan antelope, and often hangs down 
on either side over the withers. The horns, too, are much finer, and, sweeping backwards 
in a bold curve, are commonly upwards of 42 inches long, and have been known to reach 
50 inches. The striking colour, large size, and horns of this creature make it one of the 
most-prized trophies of the sportsman. The skin, when prepared and laid down as a rug 
in balls or dwelling-rooms, is far more handsome than that of any deer. The female of this 
species is usually of a rich 
red-brown in colour instead 
of black as in the male. 
South of the Zambesi, how- 
ever, old cows becomealmost 
absolutely black. North of 
the Zambesi both male and 
female sable antelopes are 
dark red in colour rather 
than black. The horns in 
the female are slighter and 
less curved than in the 
male, and are also consider- 
ably shorter, as a rule not 
measuring over 30 inches in 
length. 
The range of the sable 
antelope extends from the 
northern districts of the 
Transvaal to German East 
Africa. In the country be- 
tween the Limpopo and the 
Central Zambesi it used to 
be a very common animal, 
especially in the northern 
districts of Mashonaland. It 
is partial to open forests 
intersected by grassy, well- 
watered glades, and is never 
found on open plains entirely eh 
devoid of bush. It is usually i 
met with in herds of from ~ Siar Behar ip paraslster oO Hon, Walter Rothschild 
twelve to twenty individuals, SABLE ANTELOPE 
b 
ut I have often seen as A near ally of the Roan Antelope, from which it is broadly distinguished ‘by its striking colora- 
many as fifty, and once tion — black and white 
ee 4 
Wa 
. Payne, 
