ORYX, ELAND, IMPALA, ETC. 
99 
the elands were no longer there, nor did we see a single 
buffalo, while of giraffe only five or six laggards re¬ 
mained behind. We saw but two more rhinos, one of 
which, though quite unmolested, made a determined 
charge on my hunter, Elmi, who, being unprepared and 
only a few yards from the beast, had a narrow escape. 
The main bodies of all these animals had temporarily 
retired, probably from lack of water, and presumably 
northwards, beyond the Tangulwee River (now dry), 
into the sanctuary of the Sugota Reserve. 
August 26.—From midday till dusk a storm of 
locusts, passing northwards, darkened the sky and 
covered our camp. Next day, never a locust in sight, 
but the huge marabous sat gape-full on the trees— 
actually unable to close their beaks! 
I do not know if hartebeests are ever common at 
Baringo, 1 but this family of antelopes is so numerous and 
so characteristic of British East-African plains that their 
absence here was remarkable, the few we saw being all 
Bubalis jachsoni. Members of another group were, 
however, extremely abundant here, namely, the dikdiks, 
or grass-antelopes. These small animals, some species 
of which are no bigger than a hare, lie close in long grass 
or low bush, and bound away from underfoot in a series 
of leaps that defy a rifle-ball, even were it convenient to 
fire one. But on days when we went out expressly with 
a shot-gun, not a dikdik could we see. One afternoon, 
while lying half-asleep under a mimosa, resting during 
the midday heat, I was awakened by a curious whistle 
close by, and cautiously looking up, observed a small 
horned animal intently watching me, and secured it with 
No. 6 shot from the Paradox, which luckily lay within 
arm’s length. This proved to be Madoqua guentheri , 
a thoroughbred little antelope, though its tiny annulated 
horns only measured 2§ ins. in length, and the best we 
have since shot barely exceeded 2|- ins. The nose is 
remarkably prolonged and prehensile, extending quite 
1 The Mugitani River practically marks the northern limit of 
Jackson’s hartebeest in the Rift Valley. 
