Big Game Shooting, volume 1 (of 2)Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
General
Big Game Shooting, volume 1 (of 2)
Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
Game and game-birds; Hunting
Jackson’s Hartebeest, also called ‘Kongoni’ by the Zanzibar porters,
is first met with near Lake Baringo, and on Mau escarpment west of
Lake Naivasha, which is, perhaps, its most southern limit. It is quite
the commonest antelope in Turkwel, and also in the undulating country
west of Elgeyo, where it is found in the plains, open bush, and thin
mimosa-wooded country.
THE TOPI
The ‘Topi’ is, I believe, not found south of the Sabaki river. It is,
however, the commonest antelope in the Galla country, and it ranges
from the coast right away N.E. to Uganda, passing round to the north of
Mount Kenia, but I do not think it is known either in Lykepia or south
of Lake Baringo.
The topi found in Uganda has been lately described as a distinct
species (_Damalis jimela_) by Dr. Matschi, but whether it is really so
or is only a local and somewhat larger variety of _D. senegalensis_
I am unable to say. It is found both in plains and open bush, and is
plentiful at Merereni and on the mainland near Lamu, where I have shot
it within a quarter of a mile of the sea. I believe the topi to be
capable of greater pace than any other East African antelope. One of
the peculiarities of this beast is the way it varies in colour when
seen standing at different angles in bright sunlight, at one time
appearing quite black and at others a slatey-blue or stone-grey.
DAMALIS HUNTERI
_D. Hunteri_, first obtained by my friend Mr. H. C. V. Hunter in 1888,
is only found north of the Tana river, but how far north it ranges into
the Somali country is at present unknown. In habits it resembles the
topi.
ROAN ANTELOPE
The Roan Antelope I have added to the list with a query after its
name. I do not believe that it exists anywhere in British East Africa
south of Turkwel.[12] On the northern slopes of Mount Elgon I saw two
beasts which, as they stood facing me some 400 yards off, I took to be
waterbucks, but on being alarmed at my firing at a hartebeest which
crossed the footpath just in front of me, I at once perceived, as they
cantered off, that they were animals which I had never seen before. As
they appeared to tally at that distance with the roan, in respect of
size, colour, shape of the horns, and length of ears, I have put them
down as the roan, though I think it is more than probable that they may
some day prove to be quite a different species, possibly _Hippotragus
Bakeri_.
SABLE ANTELOPE
The Sable Antelope, known to the Swahilis as ‘Pala-hala,’ is very rare,
and up to the present has not been bagged in British East Africa by a
European. Sir John Willoughby, in his book ‘East Africa and its Big
Game,’ mentions that he saw a small herd of five near Maji Chumvi. Mr.
Gedge and I also saw a herd of about ten or twelve near Gulu Gulu in
November 1888. Both of these places were open bush and thinly-wooded
country. The sable antelope is fairly plentiful in the undulating
park-like country on the banks of the river Wami, near Kidudwe, in
German territory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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