LION 41? 



The following notes on the lion in South Africa are condensed 

 from an account written by Mr. F. Vaughan Kirby in 1899: 



" Lions have an inborn dislike to man's presence ; and therefore, if 

 encountered in the daytime, usually give way, perhaps after a moment's 

 survey of the intruder, accompanied by a growl and a flourish of the 

 tail. They often make a demonstration to frighten any one who 

 disturbs them at a carcase, but it is more bark than bite, and, if faced 

 firmly, they will retire, growling. There are many exceptions, however, 

 and a savage or hungry lion, or lioness with cubs, will charge without 

 hesitation. Essentially nocturnal in their habits, lions are justly 

 dreaded at night, when they become bold, fierce, and aggressive ; and, 

 as they generally make use of game-tracks or foot-paths when moving, 

 the risk of walking along these at night in districts infested by lions is 

 very great. A lion is seen at his best (or worst) when at bay, standing 

 with lowered head and crest erect, his tufted tail twitching, his lips 

 drawn back from the red gums and great white fangs, and living fire 

 flashing from his eyes, while he keeps up an incessant hoarse growling. 

 I think no animal can look more utterly savage than a lion under such 

 circumstances, and the sportsman who faces him must ' hold straight.' 

 To follow a wounded lion into thick covert is a dangerous proceeding, 

 and calls for the utmost coolness and nerve, as the animal invari- 

 ably sees the sportsman before it is seen by him, and in most cases 

 charges. The roar is one of the most marked characteristics of the 

 lion ; and, when heard at night pealing through the forest, is inex- 

 pressibly grand almost, if not quite, the most sublime sound in 

 nature. When several lions are roaring in concert, near the listener, 

 the volume of sound is tremendous, the air vibrating and the ground 

 trembling. Heard amidst the uproar of a tropical night's storm, when 

 the lightning's flash rends the sky in twain, leaving pitchy blackness 

 behind, it is truly awe-inspiring. 



" The steady march of civilisation in South Africa has considerably 

 limited the range of the lion ; and as the vast herds of game upon 

 which it depended for food have been swept away, it has been forced 

 to retire into remoter regions. From much of the South Africa of 

 Gordon Gumming it has vanished completely ; while many parts of 

 Mashona-Matabililand and the Transvaal will never again resound 

 with its mighty voice. A few lions linger in Zululand, Swaziland, 

 Amatongaland and the Libombo range ; and they are still numerous 

 in the wilder parts of Rhodesia, Ngamiland, Khamaland, along the 

 Limpopo river, and in the Matamiri bush. In Umliwan's country, 

 along the Buzi river, in the Pungwi and Chiringoma districts of 



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