INTRODUCTORY. 9 



Again, two men will perhaps visit a certain area at different seasons, and each one 

 will be convinced that what he saw when he was there holds good for the remainder 

 of the year. 



I do not know how it is some people are always meeting with certain animals, 

 while others are unable to get some quite common animal after, perhaps, several 

 years of trying. A common instance is the lion. There are, undoubtedly, lion men 

 and non-lion men. Some men, after a few months spent in East Africa, have been 

 fortunate enough to secure several lion, and have seen many more. 



Again, one constantly meets other men who have been many years in the 

 country and are still bemoaning their fate that they have never even seen one 

 out of a cage. 



Apart from the different manner of observation of the individual, I cannot help 

 thinking that some writers are apt to record habits and other notes concerning the 

 behaviour of game on rather flimsy evidence. 



Most men — and I am no exception — are liable to be led into making rash 

 statements in the course of conversation. When writing, however, on the habits of 

 any animal there is no excuse for so doing, for one has ample time to consider over 

 every statement made. In revising it only requires a scratch of the pen to cut out 

 any doubtful or not sufficiently proved statement. Even in matters unrelated to the 

 theme in hand it behoves one to be as accurate as possible in details, as constant 

 inaccuracies are apt to make the reader doubtful of even the well-authenticated facts. 



For instance, in a book on sport I recently read, I noticed, amongst many 

 smaller inaccuracies in the first chapter, two very glaring mistakes, both, however, 

 unconnected with the subject of the book. The first was the quite unnecessary 

 introduction of the common Arabic expression for " Good morning," which was 

 translated as "God bless thee" for the benefit of the reader — not quite the same 

 thing ! The second was an allusion to a small punitive expedition which lasted three 

 weeks, and during which the enemy never put up a fight. This was described as a 

 long and bloody warfare lasting many years. 



Now, although most of the remarks on game were of a very superior quality, 

 statements like those above must tend rather to shake the reader's confidence 

 in the writer. After rounding up against them at the start it is impossible for the 

 reader to peruse any new or unusual facts which may be described later with such 

 trusting confidence as he might otherwise have done. 



As to languages, many native languages have not as yet been reduced to 

 a writing or vocabulary. When dealing with these, mistakes or differences in spelling 

 to the forms subsequently adopted are liable to occur, and such are unavoidable. 



C 



