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district of the Transvaal, and gives several excellent illustrations of its 
noble form. 
Lastly, Mr. J. Ffolliott Darling, F.Z.S., has kindly favoured us with the 
following field-notes on this Antelope as lately observed by him in Mashona- 
land and Matabeleland :— 
“These Antelopes, of which the Mashona names are Jnguardti and Marabdlla, were 
much more numerous before the incursion of the Pioneers in 1890, but even now, in 
most out-of-the-way places, they are abundant, especially on the higher parts of the 
plateau, which is from 3000 to 5000 feet high. As late as 1896 I have seen troops of 
these bucks lying out on the open flats at midday, far from any cover, but, as a rule, 
when much disturbed and hunted, they seek concealment in the bush for their daily 
sleep. They usually go in troops of from 5 to 12 or 15, the largest herd I ever counted 
consisting of 22 individuals; I often heard of troops of 50 or 60, but when an 
opportunity offered of counting them they invariably resolved themselves into a score 
or so. Occasionally one comes across a bull keeping altogether by himself, and in such 
cases I always found him very wary and almost impossible to approach within shot. 
Whatever may be the reason for his going alone, it is evidently the same cause that has 
also made him very suspicious and cautious. I have known a lone bull haunt a certain 
spot for months, and have seen him frequently, but never in company. Sometimes 3 
or 4 bulls will be found together, but usually herds are mixed—young and old, male and 
female, run together; a troop of 10 will consist of one big buil, 3 or 4 younger males, 
and the remainder cows or young ones. ‘The old bulls don’t seem to wish to drive 
away the younger males, as Deer do. 
“One day, as I was quietly meandering through the bush in Mashonaland, a troop of 
10 or 12 Sable came trotting by. About half had gone past me without suspicion, when 
a cow took the alarm, and, stopping suddenly, looked in my direction. She could not 
exactly make out the enemy, but after a few seconds she stamped her foot two or three 
times and snorted, as if to warn the others to keep quiet. They all stopped, gazing 
about, but finally cantered off without having satisfied their curiosity. 
“These Antelopes fight very well with their long curved horns, and strike sideways 
very quickly. A dog that is unwise enough to run up behind and try to lay hold of one 
has little chance of escaping impalement. A bull won’t run very far from a dog, but 
will stop to fight him, and if the dog keeps out of his reach and stays running round 
and barking at him the hunter can easily get up for a shot. 
“ When taken young, Sables get very tame and bold, and will push open the door and 
demolish a loaf of bread or any other eatables that may be handy. <A young bull used 
to frequent the laager at Salisbury during the Mashonaland rebellion in 1896; he was 
very friendly with white folks, but—unlike some of the stay-at-home philanthropists— 
knew the difference between white and black men very well, and if a ‘ black brother’ 
took any liberties with him he was promptly knocked down. 
“The Sabie calves are mostly born in November and December (spring and early - 
summer), but I have shot cows heavy with young at the same time that others had 
good-sized calves.” 
