THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
at once wandered far afield, not returning to the river until all the outside 
waters had dried up. Impala feed principally upon grass, but when the 
pasturage becomes very dry they eat the leaves of certain bushes as well. 
During the rutting season the bucks are constantly making a grunting 
noise, and both bucks and does snort when suspicious of danger. 
The natural enemies of the impala were the leopard and the wild dog, 
before civilized man entered upon the scene ; but whereas the two former 
animals never reduced their numbers, though possibly preventing their 
inordinate increase, the latter has already absolutely exterminated the 
species in many parts of its range, and will sooner or later bring about 
its complete extinction. Impala, I think, are not naturally very wary 
animals, but they become very alert and difficult to approach after having 
been much shot at. I found a large herd of impalas, which had been much 
disturbed in the neighbourhood of a wooding camp on the Athi River in 
British East Africa, living habitually far out on the bare open plain, more 
than a mile from the nearest bush, in company with Coke’s hartebeests, 
and Thomson’s gazelles, in order to escape the constant persecution 
they had been subjected to by the native gunners, who were constantly 
prowling about along the wooded banks of the river, trying to get meat 
for camp. 
150 
