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At 300 yards I have often had my eye on them feeding, unable almost to distinguish 
them from their likeness to stems of trees and dead thorn. They are tree-feeders, 
and their length of leg, body, and giraffe-like necks enable them to crop the leaves 
from bush-trees at a great height from the ground. When thus occupied in browsing 
they are often absolutely vertical, and for minutes together motionless, save for 
the lips and head, which are buried in the foliage. The male alone carries horns, 
varying in length and circumference, which reach, in fine specimens, 154 inches 
measured along the curve. The female is smaller and slighter than the male. On 
being disturbed they often remain so motionless that it is difficult to detect them in the 
bush, and when they make off they do so very quickly, and are immediately transformed 
from tall elegant animals with heads proudly carried to clumsy crouching fugitives 
with outstretched heads and necks. I have noticed when in flight they generally tak« 
a line more or less parallel to the hunter, as if they did not consider it safe to lose all 
knowledge of their pursuer’s whereabouts in the bush. With this object apparently 
they will usually keep the crest of a ridge or rise till they have put a considerable distance 
between themselves and their enemy. They go singly or in bands, but most commonly 
there are two, three, or more together. I have never seen more than fifteen in one 
band, and in that case twelve out of the fifteen were females. There is no part of 
Somaliland that I have visited where they are not common. In 1897 I saw some 
within five miles of Berbera, in 1896 and 1897 in the maritime plains, in the Golis, on 
the Haud, in distant Ogaden, and far Bourha, but nowhere more numerous than in 
the Godabiirsi country. They are easily killed by anyone who can shoot standing up, 
as the long-line shot at the perpendicular, even when as narrow as that of a Gerenuk’s 
chest and neck, is a comparatively easy one, and no very nice judgment of range is 
necessary. Their meat is generally despised by the Somalis, but eaten by the Midgans ; 
but to my own taste it is not very much less nice or more nasty than most other 
Antelope flesh. The Somalis have an expression ‘ Gerenuk,’ which is derived from 
their opinion as to the merits of its flesh, as it is generally considered nasty meat, yet 
not actually forbidden, and occasionally even relished by individual Somalis. The 
word is used constantly as an interjection to express dissent, either in chaff or contempt, 
in the sense: ‘That may do for you, but it won’t do for me!’” 
We subjoin Mr. E. N. Buxton’s lively account of his experiences with this 
Antelope, extracted from the second series of ‘Short Stalks’ :— 
“The long-necked ‘ Gerenook’ is a bush-feeder, like the Giraffe, and is built on the 
same lines, except that the males carry curved horns. The body is on the scale of a 
small Fallow-deer, but such is its length of leg and neck that the head, when the 
animal is on guard, is held over six feet from the ground. They are generally found 
in small families of three or four. The bright chestnut back makes it fairly easy to see 
them even among the bushes. On the other hand, its sharp sight and length of neck 
give it a conspicuous advantage against pursuers. At the first sign of danger the 
Gerenook slinks behind the bushes, and peeps over the tops as from a small watch- 
tower. Imagine the strategical advantage you would have in guerilla-warfare if you 
VOL. III. 2K 
