The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 2 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
Sir Andrew Smith, who visited South Africa about the same period,
likewise figures both sexes of this Antelope in his ‘Illustrations of
the Zoology of South Africa,’ and not perhaps in a more satisfactory
manner. He gives, however, a good description of both sexes of the
Waterbuck and of its internal anatomy, together with an account of its
habits, from which we extract the following particulars:--“This animal,
which has, from the time it first became known to the Cape colonists,
been designated by them under the name of ‘The Water Bok,’ was not seen
by our party till after we had passed to the northward of Kurrichane;
and, if we are to trust the evidence of the natives, it is never met
with to the southward of the high lands which extend to the eastward
of the locality mentioned. To the northward, however, it is a common
animal, and is generally found associated in small herds of from eight
to ten individuals, near the margins of streams. We were struck from
the first with the small proportion of males in these herds, and on
remarking upon the circumstance to the aborigines, they gave their
testimony in support of the accuracy of our observations. Rarely, in a
herd of twelve, were there more than two or three males, and of these
seldom more than one which might be regarded as mature. The natives
were of opinion that the sexes were produced in about that proportion,
and even made use of the assumed fact in support of the propriety of
polygamy as it exists among uncivilized men, asserting that a like
disproportion occurred in the human species.
“When _Cobus ellipsiprymnus_ is feeding it has the appearance of
being a clumsy and unprepossessing animal; but, on the contrary, when
excited, it is elegant and stately. At such times it holds its head
high, and assumes a lively and spirited position. Its pace is a gallop,
and generally all the individuals of the herd rush off at the same
time, each making the best of its way without endeavouring, as some
other of the Antelopes do, to follow in the train of a leader. When
disturbed they generally fly from the places where they are discovered
towards the higher grounds of the neighbourhood, and if unable to reach
them, without passing through water, they manifest neither fear nor
disinclination to plunge into the stream--hence the origin of the name
by which they are designated by the colonist. Their flesh is in little
repute, even with the aborigines, though it is not quite rejected; the
dislike to it arises from its being of a hard and stringy texture, and
from exhaling a strong urinous odour.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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