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Show 724 MR. P. L. SCLATER O N M A M M A L S [NOV. 21, plentiful than in the Mweru and Luapula Countries, though there may be districts which have a greater variety. Cobus vardoni and C. lechee run in enormous herds. Buffaloes and Zebras are also there in vast quantities. The two first-named Antelopes are frequently found together, are much alike in appearance, and are both known by the natives as ' NswalaJ (The Impala is also called ' Nswala' by them.) The horns of the Letchwe have a much larger spread than those of Vardon's Antelope, but at a distance it is difficult to distinguish between the two. The Letchwe has a little black stripe on the fore legs which is not found in Vardon's Antelope. A noticeable feature about the male Letchwe is that when he runs he puts his head down, laying back the horns. Vardon's Antelope does not do this. "Near the north-east end of Lake Mweru I met with a species of Waterbuck quite different from those inhabiting Nyasaland. The whole skin is of a darker-" bluer "-colour. The white marks on the buttocks are not so distinct, and the beast is somewhat smaller in size than that Antelope. I forward you, through Mr. H . H . Johnston, a skin of one of these Mweru Waterbucks, which was shot by Mr. John Kydd (who accompanied me on my journey). Mr. Crawshay has obtained several of them. I also forward you skins and horns of the Cobus vardoni and C. lechee; also the horns of male and female Roan Antelope, and a quantity of skins of small mammals, monkeys, cats, &c, all from Mweru. " One skin which I send is of a diminutive little Antelope from Mweru. I never saw it alive myself, but bought the skin from a native, who told m e that it has very small, short, straight horns. M y ' boys ' from Nyasaland do not know it. " The ' Situtunga'x frequents the Great Mweru Marsh, and many of the swamps north, east, and south of Mweru Lake. Mr. Crawshay saw one, and obtained the horns of two, but neither he nor I succeeded in shooting a specimen; they live almost in the water. " The African Cattle-plague has created terrible havoc among the wild game on the Lower Luapula (near its entrance into Lake Mweru) ; also, to a less degree, in Itawa, Ulungu, and Unyam-wanga. All the dying beasts that I saw had a more or less copious discharge from the nose. Buffalo, Vardon's Antelope, and the Letchwe seem to have suffered most. " Around Lake Mweru, both the ' Njiri' (Wart-hog) and the 'Guruvi' (which, if I am. not mistaken, is one of tbe River-hogs), are very plentiful. I send you heads of each, with the tusks in ; you will see how different they are. " O n the southern shores of Lake Mweru Lions are more plentiful than I have seen them elsewhere in British Central Africa, and I had some lively times with some of them. I a m able to confirm the fact that foececta sfiroonm, thhieg hLg 1iru oopTnu rsnia dndg. oea l olaOcapcrnhag suesis eo bensuaipslnelghky yiu icst,l,ri heImee bb, e cthlraieeme evewse .a.d -soP .Imw onsL r.at ewSo . tot hnhaeen, g orfnoi ufontndee,e n |
