A JOURNEY UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 
S77 
of temper, they display these mingled qualities ^in a very ludicrous 
manner whenever they are alarmed by a strange object. 
'' They commence whisking their long white tails,’’ says Gum¬ 
ming, in a most eccentric manner; then, springing suddenly into 
the air, they begin pawing and capering, and pursue each other in 
circles at their utmost speed. Suddenly they all pull up together 
to overhaul the intruder, when some of the bulls will often com¬ 
mence fighting in the most violent manner, dropping on their knees 
at every shock'; then, quickly wheeling about, they kick up their 
heels, whirl their tails with a fantastic flourish, and scour across the 
plain, enveloped in a cloud of dust.” On account of these extraor¬ 
dinary monoeuvres, the gnu is called wildebeest by the Dutch settlers. 
VERY INQUISITIVE, EVEN AT RISK OF LIFE. 
The faculty of curiosity is largely developed in the gnu, which 
can never resist the temptation of inspecting any strange object, 
although at the risk of its life. When a gnu first catches sight of 
any unknown being, he sets ofif at full speed, as if desirous of get¬ 
ting to the farthest possible distance from the terrifying object. 
Soon, however, the feeling of curiosity vanquishes the passion of 
fear, and the animal halts to reconnoitre. 
He then gallops in a circle round the cause of his dread, halt¬ 
ing occasionally, and ever drawing nearer. By taking advantage 
of this disposition, a hunter has been enabled to attract towards 
himself a herd of gnus which were feeding out of gunshot, merely 
by tying a red handkerchief to the muzzle of his gun. 
The inquisitive animals were so fascinated with the fluttering 
lure, that they actually approached so near as to charge at the hand¬ 
kerchief, and forced the hunter to consult his own safety by lower¬ 
ing his flag. The same ruse is frequently employed on the prairies 
of America, when the hunters desire to get a shot at a herd of 
prong-buck antelopes. 
Several experiments have been made in order to ascertain 
whether the gnu is capable of domestication. As far as the prac¬ 
ticability of such a scheme was concerned, the experiments were 
perfectly successful, but there is a great drawback in the shape of a 
