506 
AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 
Swahili Waterbuck 
Kohus ellipsiprymnus kuru 
Native Name: Swahili, kuru. 
Kobus ellipsiprymnus kuru Heller, 1913, Smith. Misc. Coll., vol. 61, No. 13, p. 6. 
Range. —Coast district from the Tana River southward 
along the coast into German East Africa and westward 
along the larger watercourses to Kilimanjaro. 
The race of the common waterbuck inhabiting the coast 
district of British and German East Africa has recently 
been described from specimens collected at Taveta by Doc¬ 
tor W. L. Abbott. The waterbuck mentioned by such early 
explorers of the coast district as Hildebrandt and Fischer 
refer to this race. Willoughby, Jackson, and several other 
sportsmen have given accounts of this race. The Swahili 
waterbuck is closely allied to thikce of the Athi Plains, but 
differs from this race by its darker, sepia-brown color, 
darker-brown legs, and lighter-colored snout, which shows 
little contrast to the color of the forehead. 
The color of the median dorsal region is uniform dark- 
brown or warm sepia, with the sides lighter, deep brownish- 
drab in color. The breast is drab and the belly whitish. The 
white stripe on the hind quarters is not continuous across 
the rump, but is broad and distinct on the sides. The tail 
is sepia like the back, the tip very little darker, and the 
under side has a narrow line of white. The legs from the 
knees and the hocks are uniform sepia-brown, and darker 
than the sides. There is a white fringe above the hoofs and 
the false hoofs. The neck is somewhat lighter than the 
body, being dark brownish-drab, but the nape is uniform in 
color with the throat. There is a whitish blotch on the 
upper throat. The sides of the head are like the neck in 
color. The dorsal surface of the snout is sepia-brown, but 
contrasts very little with the more reddish cinnamon-brown 
forehead. The rhinarium of the snout is bordered by a 
white band and the lips and chin are white. There is also 
a broad white area at the front angle of the eye about two 
inches long. The area about the eyes and the back of the 
ears is ochraceous-tawny. The tips of the ears are sepia- 
brown, and the inside is white. 
