THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



regret now that I did not take more time for my photog- 

 raphy in the jungle than I did, but, as I was anxious to 

 return to America at a certain time from the three dif- 

 ferent African trips, I always wanted to accomplish with 

 the utmost speed what I had started out to do. 



Sometimes the " camera hunter " must spend whole 

 days and weeks in order to get a single good photograph 

 of certain animals. A German doctor, whom I met on the 

 shores of Victoria Nyanza, showed me some wonderful 

 pictures of the wild life of the hippo, which he assured me 

 had taken him all of five weeks to secure, and of all the 

 different exposures, having used up more than six dozen 

 films and plates, only five negatives were really first-class ! 



To watch a wild animal when it thinks it is unobserved 

 is certainly one of the most interesting things the hunter 

 can do. I have for hours repeatedly watched herds of 

 zebra, hartebeest, and Grant's gazelle from quite close 

 quarters, and it was a great pleasure to see how the ani- 

 mals fed, played, and fought together, absolutely uncon- 

 scious of the presence of man. During such times of 

 watching, the different characteristics of the several ani- 

 mals appear very marked indeed. Of the different game 

 of the plains none is more curious than the wildebeest, as 

 before stated, but the zebra, Grant's gazelle, Thomson's 

 gazelle, and the impala are very interesting in their own 

 way, although perhaps not as lively and " full of fun " as 

 seem to be the curious-looking wildebeest. I deplore not 

 having found leisure enough to watch these animals more 

 often with a view of minutely describing afterwards their 

 peculiar way of feeding, playing, and drinking. 



The dangers and the excitement that accompany wild 



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