AFRICA. 17 
into the middle of this confufed multitude, and 
each of my balls often brought down feveral of 
them at a time. Had I wifhed for as many, I 
might eafily have procured a hundred ; and I 
ceafed firing, merely becaufe fuch a quantity of 
game would have been of no ufe to me. 
Every time I difcharged my piece at thefe 
antelopes, their rumps, immediately and at the 
fame moment, all became white ; and thofe 
thoufands of red backs flying before me formed, 
as it were, one fheet of fnow, which feemed diC- 
played only to difappear again in an inftant. 
I have already fpoken of that fingular pro- 
perty of the fpring-bock antelope, w^hich has 
the faculty of changing at will the colour of 
its rump, which is red, and of making it fud- 
denly become white, as if by a kind of en* 
chantment. A phenomenon of this nature 
prefents at firft to the mind fomething mar- 
vellous ; it is, however, ftridly true, and may 
be eafily comprehended after the following 
explanation. 
The long thick hair which covers the rump 
of the fpring-bock antelope is, in general, of a 
tawny hue ; but, though it appears to be en- 
tirely of that colour, it is only the furface that 
is 
