NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



In the distant past they served a good and useful 

 purpose in checking the too rapid increase of the 

 game animals, which would otherwise have increased 

 in numbers to such an extent that the vegetation 

 of the country would not have supplied their needs, 

 and starvation, dire and complete, would have over- 

 taken them. In those days the wild dogs had few, 

 if any, natural enemies. True, a lion could easily 

 master one if it should happen to be caught alone, 

 but the lordly lion disdained the flesh of the wild 

 dog, and only attacked it at such times as when, in 

 the act of devouring some animal it had killed, the 

 wild dogs became over venturesome in endeavouring 

 to snatch up a mouthful or two of the meat. 



The males fought fiercely amongst themselves, 

 and in this way, no doubt, numbers were killed. 

 However, they were probably kept in check mainly 

 by disease epidemics. 



On the advent of the pigmy Bushman, the Wilde 

 Honde for the first time had a serious and formid- 

 able rival. The Bushmen were a race of hunters. 

 They knew not the art of tilling the ground, nor did 

 they tame and rear animals for food. They were 

 in what is known as the Hunter phase of culture 

 or development, and, like the Wilde Honde, they 

 hunted the game animals of the country for food. 



The Wilde Honde and the Bushmen were bitter 

 enemies, for they were rivals, and frequently came 

 in contact in consequence. The dog was no match 

 for the nimble Bushman, armed with a bow and 



120 



