232 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



and in heavy timber, its lithe activity, stealth, and cunning, 

 its ferocious daring and extreme wariness and caution, make 

 it as universally known as it is rarely seen. It preys on the 

 smaller antelopes and the young of the larger antelopes and 

 zebras; also on birds and small mammals. It is fond of the 

 wild swine, but avoids the old boars. It is the especial 

 enemy of the baboons, which are always on the watch for it. 

 A female or young baboon is helpless against its assault, but 

 an old male, unless seized in the first rush in such fashion 

 that it cannot retaliate, will put up a good fight, for its 

 teeth are as formidable as the leopard's. The weight and 

 claws of the leopard, however, give it the advantage over 

 even a male baboon of the ordinary kinds (the hideous man- 

 drill of the western forests may stand in another category). 

 But if the horde is large and contains a number of full- 

 grown males the latter may combine for the rescue, and 

 in their turn assail the assailant. Baboons are fearsome 

 beasts under such conditions; the father of one of the 

 'Ndorobo who was with us when after bongo had been killed 

 by baboons which rallied to the aid of one of their number 

 that the man was trying to kill with his knobkerry. They 

 frequently drive off leopards and have been known to kill 

 them. Lord Delamere came across one such instance. A 

 leopard attacked some baboons among the rocks, and a tre- 

 mendous row ensued as the old dog baboons drove the 

 leopard from the animal that had been seized. That eve- 

 ning the same leopard, very thin and hungry, came into 

 camp and was shot; it was already fatally wounded, the 

 bites it had received being such as only baboons inflict. 

 There have been authentic cases of leopards being killed by 

 old boars and by old male bushbuck. Save in exceptional 



