THE ANTELOPE FAMILY.
In place of the deer, so familiar to us in the study of other countries,
we find numerous specimens of the great family of antelopes. Some
writers have named as many as twenty varieties.
Among the antelope family the gnu, or horned horse, is perhaps the most
curious specimen. In size it is about as large as an ass. In form it has
the body, neck, mane, and tail, like those of a horse, while the legs
and horns are like those of the antelope.
The gnu is very spirited, and full of gambols. Its sense of smell is
acute, and its sight very keen. It may be seen in herds on the plains
which border upon the Orange River, where its free and varied movements,
full of grace, can but attract the attention and awaken the interest of
the observer.
The gazelle is the fleetest of the antelopes of Africa. It is usually
quite small. One variety is no larger than a hare. Other varieties are
as large as a deer. It is famed for the beauty of its eyes and the grace
of its movements.
The eland is another species which abounds in South Africa wherever
fertile planes or low hills exist. In the parts of Cape Colony which
have been longest settled, however, it has been so hunted that specimens
are rarely seen.
Livingstone describes the eland as the most magnificent of the
antelopes. It belongs to the variety called bovine antelope, from the
fact that it has some of the characteristics of the ox tribe. In spite
of these peculiarities of structure, the eland is not only a very
beautiful, but a very graceful animal. It is about the size of a horse.
It stand fully five feet high at the shoulders, and weighs from seven to
nine hundred pounds.
The horns of the eland are almost straight, turning backwards and
inwards. They are quite pointed at the ends. They are very strong, and
their great strength is increased by the peculiar spiral formation. They
remind one vividly of the old-fashioned paper lamp-lighters used when
matches were not so common and the large open fireplaces were found in
every home.
The eland has quite a swelling, or protuberance, of the larynx, similar
to that found in the elk. Its tail resembles that of the ox, and has a
tuft of long black hair at the end. It may be termed a gregarious
animal, since it is always found in herds, which are often very large.
These animals are generally very plump and well filled out in all parts.
As they are gentle and not difficult to capture, they furnish sport for
the hunters who pursue them. The flesh is much prized. The muscles of
the thighs are considered the finest parts. These are dried like
tongues.
It is rather a matter of surprise that no attempt has been made to
domesticate the eland, possessing, as it does, so many excellent
qualities and serving so many useful purposes.
Livingstone describes a species which he found north of Cape Colony as
having a very marked bovine form to the body, more so than in the common
species, marked with narrow transverse bands of white.
The springbok is another variety of antelope. It is one of the most
beautiful and graceful, as well as one of the most numerous, species to
be found in South Africa. It is found in immense herds of a thousand or
more when the season arrives for it to migrate to the north or when the
weather is suitable for it to return to the south.
The springbok derives its name from the habit it has of leaping as it
runs. Its leaps are often from fifteen to twenty-five feet. It is
extremely beautiful, with its graceful form and fine colors. In size it
is larger than the roebuck. Its neck and limbs are not only longer but
much more slender.
The general color of the springbok is a tawny brown on the upper parts
of the body. Beneath the body the color is pure white. The colors are
separated upon the flanks by a broad band of deep, rich, red wine color.
The head of the animal is white, with the exception of a broad band of
brown on each side, which reaches from the eye to the mouth. There are
two curious folds of skin which start from the tail and extend to the
middle of the back. These folds are usually closed, but open out when
the animal is bounding. When open they disclose a large triangular
space, which at other times is entirely hidden.
The springbok ordinarily makes its home in the arid, sandy plains called
karroos. When, however, the pasturage becomes burned from the heat of
the sun, the herds migrate in immense numbers to other sections. Often,
as they migrate, they destroy the fields of the colonists in their line
of travel.
One writer speaks of seeing the country around Little Fish River
specked, as far as eye could reach, with immense herds of springboks.
These he estimated as numbering twenty-five to thirty thousand animals.
Another writer describes a still more wonderful sight, where, through an
opening among hills, a vast herd poured for hours together in a compact
moving mass, half a mile broad.
So immense are these herds of springboks that when a lion or a leopard,
lurking on the outskirts of the mass, is swept into the ranks, he is
virtually taken prisoner and has to march along in the midst, a captive
not a captor.
When young the springbok is easily tamed. It then becomes a very active,
over-familiar, tricky, and troublesome pet.