142 DEVASTATION DONE BY BEASTS OF PREY. 



tigers and leopards, the number had risen in 1888 to 

 50,302, destroyed by the same animals. * The depre- 

 dations of beasts of prey are however more general 

 throughout the world than people might suppose, though 

 it would be impossible in these pages to discuss such 

 matters at any length. We may however just say 

 that though no reliable returns are available, every- 

 where in Africa their devastations are very great so 

 great indeed, that in some parts the keeping of domestic 

 animals of any kind is only carried out under the 

 greatest difficulties ; the blood-tax too upon the human 

 population is also very serious. Take for instance, the 

 numbers of cases of attacks on natives in Somali Land, 

 noted by Lord Wolverton during a trip of only five 

 months. In Somali Land lions and other beasts of prey 

 seem to be extraordinarily numerous and bold; and 

 the sport to a great extent consists of lion shooting 

 1 6 of these animals having been killed by his lord- 

 ship's party. It appears that the destruction of life by 

 man-eating lions is there so common that it has come 

 to be regarded as unavoidable, the natives having 

 neither proper guns to kill these animals, nor inclina- 

 tion for the business, like all Mahometans regard the loss 

 of life as " Kismet" or the Will of Providence, which 

 it would be vain, or even sinful, to resist; it is only 

 when a " big man" or chief is killed that any effort 

 is made to hunt a lion, f But coming much nearer 

 home to civilized lands, where the larger carnivorse, 

 (if they ever existed in historic times) have long been 

 extinct, we find that considerable losses of human life 



* The returns exhibited are as follows 1885, 46,469 1886, 46,044 

 1887, 51,6/8 1888, 60,302; total 204,493. 



y See Five Months in Somali Land, by Lord Wolverton, 1894 (va- 

 rious pages throughout the book, especially pp. 32 to 35). 



