BONGO 
359 
CH. XIl] 
grew they usually choked out all other plants. Dela- 
mere had killed several giant hogs with his half-breed 
hounds ; but on this occasion the hounds would not 
follow them. On three days we came across bongo ; 
once a solitary bull, on both the other occasions herds. 
We never saw them, although we heard the solitary 
bull crash off through the bamboos ; for they are very 
wary and elusive, being incessantly followed by the 
’Ndorobo. They are as large as native bullocks, with 
handsomely striped skins, and both sexes carry horns. 
On each of the three days we followed them all day 
long, and it was interesting to trace so much as we 
could of their habits. Their trails are deeply beaten, 
and converge toward the watercourses, which run 
between the steep, forest-clad spurs of the mountains. 
They do not graze, but browse, cropping the leaves, 
flowers, and twigs of various shrubs, and eating thistles ; 
they are said to eat bark, but this our ’Ndorobo denied. 
They are also said to be nocturnal, feeding at night, and 
lying up in the daytime ; but this was certainly not the 
case with those we came across. Both of the herds, 
which we followed patiently and cautiously for hours 
without alarming them, were feeding as they moved 
slowly along. One herd lay down for a few hours at 
noon ; the other kept feeding until mid-afternoon, when 
we alarmed it; and the animals then went straight up the 
mountain over the rimrock. It was cold rainy weather, 
and the dark of the moon, which may perhaps have had 
something to do with the bongo being on the move and 
feeding during the day; but the ’Ndorobo said that they 
never fed at night—I of course know nothing about this 
personally. Leopards catch the young bongo and giant 
hog, but dare not meddle with those that are full-grown. 
The forest which they frequent is so dense, so wellnigh 
