258 
THE STORY OF THE ANTELOPE. 
by a good horse. They are a poor trophy after they are shot, as the meat 
lacks flavor. 
The nilgai is exclusively a native of India, being entirely unknown even 
in Ceylon. The animal is peculiar in having the fore limbs longer than the 
hinder. 
Nilgai are found either on the plains or in low hills, generally preferring 
ground covered with thin bush, among which are scattered low trees, or 
alternations of scrub-jungle with open grassy plains. They are but seldom 
met with in thick forest, although far from unfrequent on cultivated grounds. 
Only the males have horns, which are short, smooth and nearly straight, 
directed upward and backward. Nilgai both graze and browse, and in the 
cold season they drink but once in two or three days. 
THE GNU, OR WILDEBEEST. 
Next to a monkey, I believe the gnu or South African wildebeest, as the 
Dutch hunters call them, is the most inquisitive of all animals. 
In “trecking” across the Transvaal I would frequently come upon herds 
of twenty to fifty. As soon as they caught sight of us they would begin 
