10 THE SELOI'S C'0LLECTI0>^ 



to be met with, and are ecjuall}' plentiful on the high, open downs 

 of the Mashuna covintrv, amongst the rough broken hills, through 

 which run many of the tributaries of the Zambesi, in the dense 

 thorn-thickets to the \vest of the Gwai Itiver, or in the marshy 

 countr}^ in the neighbourhood of Linyanti. As, however, they are 

 nocturnal in their habits, and usually lie asleep during the daytime, 

 in beds of reeds, or in the midst of dense thickets, it is only by 

 chance that one comes across them, even in parts of the country 

 where, from hearing their voices at nights, and constantly seeing 

 their spoor, there can be no doubt that they are plentiful. All the 

 Dutch hunters in the interior, as well as many Euro})eans, who 

 pretend to higher scientific attainments, sa}' that there are at least 

 three distinct species of lions in South Africa ; whilst some assert 

 that there are four or even five. Their distnictions are all based 

 upon the length and colour of the mane, the general colour of the 

 coat, the spots on the feet, and the comparative size of the animals. 

 For my part, and judging from my own very limited experience of 

 lions, I cannot see that there is any reason for supposing that 

 more than one species exists, and as out of fifty male lion skins 

 scarcely two will be found exactly alike in the colour and length 

 of the mane, I think it would be as reasonable to sujjpose that 

 there are twenty species as three. The fact is, that between the 

 animal with hai-dly a vestige of a mane, and the far handsomer 

 but much less common beast with a long flowing black mane, every 

 possible intermediate variety may be found. This I say emphati- 

 cally, after having seen a great many skins, and I entirely deny 

 that three well-marked and constant varieties exist. On June 6, 

 1879, I came across two fine old male lions on the Mababe fiat, 

 lying together under'the same bush, and shot them both. One 

 was a fuU-maned lion with a very dark-colovu'ed skin, the other a 

 very light-coloured animal with scarcely any mane at all. In size 

 they were nearly as possible equal, the skins, when ^jegged out, 

 measuring 10 feet 10 inches and 10 feet 9 inches respectively. A 

 few months afterwards Mr. H. C. Collison and myself again came 

 across two lions, the one dark-coloured, with a full, blackish mane, 

 the other a yellow-looking animal with but little mane. A day or 

 two later we shot two lionesses. The one killed by ray friend 

 can'ied in her womb three cubs (two males and a female) that 

 would probably have seen the light a few hours later. Of the two 



