62 NEW SPECIES OF ANTELOPE. 



the withers, the male has a small mane of the same yellowish 

 colour with the rest of the skin, and the tail has a tuft of 

 black hair. It is never found a mile from water ; islets in 

 marshes and rivers are its favourite haunts, and it is quite 

 unknown except in the central humid basin of Africa. 

 Having a good deal of curiosity, it presents a noble ap- 

 pearance as it stands gazing with head erect at the 

 approaching stranger. When it resolves to decamp, it 

 lowers its head, and lays its horns down to a level with the 

 withers ; it then begins with a waddling trot, which ends 

 in its galloping and springing over bushes like the pallahs. 

 It invariably runs to the water, and crosses it by a succes- 

 sion of bounds, each of which appears to be from the 

 bottom. We thought the flesh good at first, but soon got 

 tired of it. 



Great shoals of excellent fish come down annually with 

 the access of waters. The mullet (Mugil Africanus) is the 

 most abundant. They are caught in nets. 



The Glanis siluris, a large broad-headed fish, without 

 scales, and barbed — called by the natives " mosala " — 

 attains an enormous size and fatness. They are caught 

 so large that when a man carries one over his shoulder the 

 tail reaches the ground. It is a vegetable feeder, and in 

 many of its habits resembles the eel. Like most lophoid 

 fishes, it has the power of retaining a large quantity of 

 water in a part of its great head, so that it can leave the 

 river, and even be buried in the mud of dried-up pools, 

 without being destroyed. Another fish closely resembling 

 this, and named Clarias capensis by Dr. Smith, is widely 

 diffused throughout the interior, and often leaves the 

 rivers for the sake of feeding in pools. As these dry up, 

 large numbers of them are entrapped by the people. A 

 water-snake, yellow spotted and dark brown, is often seen 

 swimming along with his head above the water ; it is quite 

 harmless, and is relished as food by the Bayeiye. 



They mention ten kinds of fish in their river : and, in 

 their songs of praise to the Zouga, say, " The messenger 

 sent in haste is always forced to spend the night on the way, 

 by the abundance of food you place before him. ,, The 

 Bayeiye live much on fish, which is quite an abomination 

 to the Bechuanas in the south ; and they catch them in 

 large numbers by means of nets made of the fine strong 

 fibres of the hibiscus, which grows abundantly in all moist 

 places. Their float-ropes are made of the ife, or, as it is. 



