184 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



phant, and very much less apt to charge than either the 

 lion or leopard. In most kinds of cover, however, the lion 

 or leopard would, from every standpoint, be more dangerous 

 than the buffalo or elephant, unless it was cover that would 

 not hamper either of these big animals and would hamper 

 anything smaller. There is thus every allowance to be 

 made for changed conditions and for the wide variation of 

 temperament among individuals. Moreover, there can be 

 no doubt that in certain localities all the animals of a given 

 species show an unusual development of certain traits com- 

 pared to the aggregate of individuals dwelling in another 

 locality; and so in one locality the buffaloes, elephants, 

 rhinos, leopards, or lions may be much more dangerous 

 than in another locality. 



Taking the average of individuals and the average of 

 surrounding circumstances, we consider the lion more dan- 

 gerous to the hunter than any other game. The leopard is 

 an even greater adept at hiding, is even quicker and more 

 reckless in its charge, and is smaller and more difficult 

 to hit; therefore, we consider that a fighting leopard is a 

 trifle more likely than a lion to get home when it charges; 

 but it is so much smaller and less powerful that it is far less 

 likely to kill its antagonist — very few hunters have been 

 killed, although many have been mauled, by leopards — and 

 a few good dogs will not only stop but themselves kill a 

 leopard, so that with dogs it can be hunted with entire 

 impunity. Under many, perhaps most, conditions, a fight- 

 ing bull buffalo offers a rather harder proposition than a 

 fighting lion, because the huge, massive creature is far more 

 difl[icult to stop when he does charge, and because he usually 

 shows the most vindictive and ferocious resolution when, 



