SOUTHERN AFRICA. 273 
present century. The accounts given of it by ancient writers 
were looked upon as fabulous. The gnoo is found only in 
certain parts of Southern Africa ; and the blue antelope, (the 
leucophaea,) which confined itself to the banks of one small 
river in the vicinity of Zwellendani, is now entirely lost to 
the colony. The springbok, seen in the northern parts in 
troops of thousands, never made its appearance in any part 
of the district of Zwellendam. 
The Bosjesmans have no knowledge of any doubts con- 
cerning the existence of such an animal as the unicorn ; nor 
do they seem to think there is any thing extraordinary in a 
beast having only one horn. There does not indeed appear 
to be any good reason why a quadruped should not be left 
with a single horn as well as a fish. Much greater anomalies 
occur in nature. The boors take it for granted that such an 
animal exists beyond the limits of the colony. Vertomannus, 
(or Berthoma,) who travelled over the deserts of Arabia, ob- 
serves that " at Mecca were to be seen two unicorns, which 
are there shewed to the people for a wonder. The one of 
them, which is much higher than the other, yet not much 
unlike to a colt of thirty months of age ; in the forehead 
groweth only one horn, in manner right forth, of the length 
of three cubits. The other is much younger, and like a young 
colt. This beast is of the color of a horse of a weasel color, 
and hath the head like an hart, but no long neck ; a, thin 
mane hanging only on the one side ; their legs are thin and 
slender, like a fawn or hind ; the hoofs of the fore feet are 
divided in two, much like the feet of a goat ; the outward 
part of the hinder feet is very full of hair. These unicorns 
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