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“The East African Oryx is known to the Swahilis as ‘Cheroa.? 'The Cheroa is 
found in the Kilimanjaro district in greater numbers (particularly near Useri) than 
elsewhere. It is also plentiful in the Galla country, between the Sabaki and Tana 
rivers, and I have myself seen it within a mile of the sea at Merereni. 
“It is found more often in open bush country than in the bare arid plains, It is 
not only a beautiful beast, but is very shy, difficult to approach, and exceedingly tough, 
and for these reasons many sportsmen covet its head more than the trophies of any 
other kind of Antelope. The skin of its neck is extraordinarily thick, and @ propos 
of this, all head-skins preserved as trophies should have the skin of the neck shaved 
down to at least half its thickness to ensure its being properly cured. 
“The Oryx is found in herds varying in number from six or eight up to thirty or 
forty. A bull Oryx is often found entirely by himself, and occasionally along with a 
herd of Gazella granti or other Antelopes. It is perhaps as well to warn sportsmen to 
approach Oryx, when lying wounded, with caution, as on one occasion my gun-bearer, 
on going up to cut the throat of an Oryx, received a severe blow on the thigh from the 
side of one of the wounded beast’s horns. The blow might have been very serious had 
the Oryx caught him with the point of his horns instead of with the flat.” 
Mr. R. B. P. Cator, of the British East African Administrative Service, 
sends us the following account of his adventures with this Antelope :— 
“On the morning of the 20th February, 1898, I fell in with a herd of Oryx on my 
way down from Machakos to Kibwezi. The herd consisted of some 15 to 20 animals 
or possibly more. When I first saw them they were feeding near some thickets on the 
edge of a broad open piece of ground that lay between them and myself, and I was 
unable to gain cover before I was detected. On seeing me the herd divided and made 
off in different directions, but, so far as I could judge, the two parts effected a junction 
before I saw them again. The country hereabout consists of open glades and meadows 
of all sizes alternating with impenetrable thickets, so being very anxious to secure a 
specimen of an Oryx, a very uncommon Antelope in this part of the country, I made 
a long detour, and, by good fortune, again hit off what was, I have not the least doubt, 
the same herd or a portion of it. 
“Without detailing the various attempts that I made to get a good shot it is enough 
to say that I was fortunate enough to secure two specimens, the one a very fine bull 
and the other a cow. 
“The horns of the bull measure respectively 333” and 32” on the outer curve; 
circumference of largest horn 7” and distance from tip to tip 13": all these 
measurements exceeding those of the best East African Oryx given in Ward’s book. 
The horns of the cow are fairly good but much worn and cracked.” 
Our figure of this Antelope (Plate LX X XV.) has been prepared by Mr. Smit 
from the skin and skull of the male specimen obtained on this occasion by 
Mr. Cator, who kindly placed them at our disposal for this purpose. 
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