Part 31

Tragelaphus spekii, =Sclater=, in Speke’s Journ. of Discov. p. 223 (1863); =id.= P. Z. S. 1864, p. 103, pl. xii., 1880, p. 452, 1883, pp. 34–37; =Heugl.= Reise Weiss. Nil, p. 319 (1869); =Brooke=, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 485 (part.); =id.= P. Z. S. 1878, p. 884; =Huet=, Bull. Soc. Acclim. (4) iv. p. 83 (1887); =Thos.= P. Z. S. 1891, p. 388 (part.); =Flow. & Lyd.= Mamm. p. 347 (1891) (part.); =Ward=, Horn Meas. p. 155 (1892); =id.= Records, p. 197 (1896), (2) p. 292 (1899) (part.); =Lugard=, Rise E. Afr. Emp. i. p. 533 (1893); =Lyd.= Horns and Hoofs, p. 254 (1893); =id.= Royal Nat. Hist. ii. p. 276 (1894) (part.); =Jackson=, Big Game Shooting, p. 311 (1894); =Matsch.= Säug. Deutsch- Ost-Afr. p. 139 (1895); =Trouessart=, Cat. Mamm. p. 958 (1898) (part.); =Gedge=, in Ward’s Great and Small Game of Africa, p. 476 (1899).

Eurycerus (Hydrotragus) spekii, =J. E. Gray=, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 49 (1872) (part.).

Eurycerus spekii, =Gray=, Hand-l. Rum. p. 119 (1873) (part.).

Tragelaphus spekii spekii, =Rothschild=, Novit. Zool. v. p. 206 (1898).

Vernacular Names:—Nzoé of Karagweh (Speke); Chobé or Njobé of Uganda (Gedge).

Adult male. Height at the withers about 36 inches. General colour a tolerably uniform greyish brown, greyer on the sides of the neck; a dark median dorsal line running down the nape, over the withers, and then passing into white in the middle line of the back. Head with white ocular and cheek-spots and white chin, as in the other species of the genus. A few pale spots low down on the hind-quarters, an indistinct line of similar spots extending along the sides above the belly, and in the adult at last only very ill-defined white stripes on the body. Legs of a richer and darker brown than the body; fore legs pale behind the knee and down the inner side of the cannon-bone, the pastern-spots scarcely distinct; hind legs coloured like fore legs, but pale in front of the hock.

Horns without a third twist.

Subadult male of a darker brown than the adult and with the white markings even less distinct.

Adult female. Smaller than the male and of a rich dark red colour, blacker dorsally, with a dark spinal stripe and very faint indications of white stripes on the body. Fore legs blackish from above the knee; hind legs blackish from below the hock; pastern-spots distinct.

Young female more or less distinctly marked with white stripes and spots, and more yellowish in colour than the adult.

Hab. Lakes and swamps of Eastern Africa near Lake Victoria.

The name of John Hanning Speke will ever go down to posterity as that of one of the most enterprising and most successful of African Explorers. Speke, however, was by no means only an Explorer, he was also an ardent lover of Natural History, and during his many expeditions in Africa never failed to bring home such specimens as his rapid mode of travelling would allow him to carry with him. Amongst the discoveries of his celebrated journey of 1859–63 to the Victoria Nyanza was the present Antelope, which he met with in December 1861, when enjoying the hospitality of King Rumanika of Karagweh. The king presented Speke with a living example of a young male of this species, which had been captured in the high rushes at the head of one of the neighbouring Lakes, and also gave him the horns of an adult male specimen. We learn further, from Speke’s ‘Journal,’ that King Rumanika was clad in a wrapper made of the skin of this Antelope, which is said to be much prized by the natives for its excellent quality. For the illustration of his ‘Journal of Discovery,’ published in 1863, Speke had a beautiful woodcut prepared by Wolf from these specimens, which, by the kindness of Messrs. William Blackwood and Sons, we are enabled to reproduce on the present occasion (fig. 108).

Sclater’s original description of this species, published in his report on the Mammal-collection made during Speke’s journey, was based on Speke’s specimens, and contained, besides a coloured illustration of the younger animal by Wolf, a drawing of the horns and feet of the adult, which, by the kind favour of the Zoological Society of London, we are allowed to use again here (see fig. 109, p. 154).

Since the days of Speke the Sitatunga of this district has rarely been met with by travellers, as, in addition to its being exceedingly wary and timid, the impenetrable nature of the papyrus-swamps, which are its habitual resort, precludes easy access to its retreats. It is, however, occasionally trapped or speared by the native fishermen, and pairs of the horns thus obtained have occasionally reached Europe. The only recent traveller, so far as we know, that has personally encountered the ‘Nzoe’ in its native wilds is Mr. Ernest Gedge, who has kindly favoured us with the following notes on this subject:—

“So far as is known at present, Speke’s Antelope is not to be found anywhere in East Africa between the Victoria Nyanza and the coast—in fact, the only occasion on which I had the good fortune to encounter it was during my sojourn in the Budda district of Uganda along with Capt. R. H. Williams, in the early part of 1893, under the following circumstances:—

“We were told by the natives that these Antelopes (called by them ‘Chobé’ or ‘Njobé’) existed in great numbers on one of the small outlying islands which constitute the Sesse group in the Victoria Lake. Being anxious to prove the truth of this report, we embarked, and proceeded thither in canoes. The island in question, which is situated well out in the Lake at a distance of some 10 miles from the main island, was reached on the afternoon of the second day. The shores are low and rocky, and, with the exception of a small turf-covered portion at its southern extremity, it is entirely covered with dense, almost impenetrable bush, interspersed only by a number of fine trees, principally species of Ficus. In shape it is something like an irregular hour-glass, being possibly a third of a mile in length and a few hundred yards across its greatest width. A very short examination revealed the presence of the Antelopes, and finding it impossible to approach them by any ordinary methods of stalking, a drive was organized, with the aid of the canoemen, with most satisfactory results: the total bag amounted to 24 head, including some fine specimens both male and female. This afforded ample testimony to their extraordinary numbers, as, owing to the dense character of the bush, it was impossible to see more than a few yards in any direction, and many of them passed us unseen. The greater number were killed in the first drive, after which the majority took refuge in the Lake, which is said to be their habit when hard pressed, though Speke describes them as being fierce and aggressive under such circumstances. The specimens procured on this occasion have been identified as true Sitatungas, though it is impossible to imagine how they ever got on to the island, or came to frequent a locality which is so entirely at variance with their usual habits.

“These Antelopes are said to have also existed formerly on a small neighbouring island, but to have been exterminated there by the Ba-Sesse canoemen.”

During his recent travels in Uganda, Herr Oscar Neumann also obtained a series of skins of this Antelope, which, as already mentioned, he has most kindly lent to us for examination. We are sorry not to have received any exact particulars respecting the specimens, except that they were procured from the natives in the districts of Kavirondo, Usoga, and Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria. Herr Neumann has also sent us two pairs of horns of this species, which were obtained from the “Wakenji” in the swamps west of Mount Elgon. Along with these specimens we have received for comparison from the authorities of the Berlin Museum a flat skin obtained by Herr Stuhlmann near the slopes of Mt. Ruwenzori.

The National Museum of this country is, we regret to say, very imperfectly furnished with specimens of the East-African form of the Sitatunga, containing only the original examples of Speke. It will be evident, therefore, that Herr Neumann’s kind assistance in this matter has been of considerable value to us.

Our coloured illustration of this Antelope (Plate XCIII.) was prepared by Wolf, under Sir Victor Brooke’s instructions, from Speke’s original specimens. It will be noticed that the artist has joined the horns of the adult animal to a body which must have been copied from the young male, and has coloured the female from conjecture, representing it as greyish brown instead of yellowish red. The accompanying woodcut (fig. 110) was likewise prepared by Mr. Wolf under Brooke’s directions.

April, 1900.

128. SELOUS’S SITATUNGA.

LIMNOTRAGUS SELOUSI (Rothsch.).

“Nakony,” =Andersson=, Lake Ngami, p. 449 (1856); =Baines=, Expl. S.W. Afr. p. 458 (1864).

Tragelaphus eurycerus, =Layard=, Cat. Mamm. S. Afr. Mus. p. 79 (1861).

Tragelaphus spekii, =Kirk=, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 659 (Chobé); =Brooke=, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 484 (part.), 1878, p. 884 (part.); =Selous=, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 753; id. Hunter’s Wanderings, p. 210 (1881); =Sclater=, P. Z. S. 1890, p. 590, pl. xlvii. (Lake Ngami), 1893, pp. 724, 729 (Lake Mweru); =id.= List An. Z. Soc. 1896, p. 163; =Thomas=, P. Z. S. 1891, p. 388 (part.); =Flow. & Lyd.= Mamm. p. 347 (1891) (part.); =Nicolls & Egl.= Sportsman in S. Afr. p. 40 (1892); =Ward=, Horn Meas. p. 155 (1892), p. 197 (1896) (part.); =Lyd.= Horns and Hoofs, p. 254 (1893); =id.= Royal Nat. Hist. ii. p. 276 (1894) (part.); =Johnst.= Brit. Centr. Afr. p. 306 (1897); =Selous=, in Ward’s Great and Small Game of Africa, p. 470 (1899).

Tragelaphus selousii, =Rothsch.= Novit. Zool. v. p. 206 (1898); =Rendall=, ibid. p. 212.

Euryceros spekii, =J. E. Gray=, Hand-l. Rum. 1873, p. 119 (part.).