A FINE LION BAGGED 



in Africa, are often of great height. The men could not 

 have advanced very far through the grass when out walked 

 the lion, at about twelve paces to my right. I fired at 

 once, rolling him over with a bullet through the shoulder. 



He was a very large beast with a remarkably fine mane, 

 a rich black on the shoulder, and deep yellow on the breast 

 and head, giving to the animal a truly noble appearance. 

 When emerging from the cover he had stood for a moment, 

 with his massive, mane- encircled head well raised. I thought, 

 as I caught sight of him, how majestic and dignified he 

 looked. There was an absence of that peculiar feline 

 ferocity which, though it adds to the formidable appearance 

 of the tiger, detracts so much from its nobility. Neverthe- 

 less, the lion, if followed up when wounded, is a formidable 

 enough antagonist, though not, in my opinion, so cunning, 

 ferocious, or dangerous as a tiger. Although as fond of 

 dense retreats as the latter, he exposes himself more care- 

 lessly, thus rendering his destruction comparatively more 

 easy. 



But the habits and peculiarities of the lion have all 

 been so well-described by Mr. Selous in his most interesting 

 book, " African Nature Notes and Reminiscences," that 

 I will not attempt to enlarge on them. One point I may 

 mention, however, for it may not perhaps be generally 

 known, viz., that the skull of the lion, though quite equal 

 in size, is considerably flatter at the base than that of the 

 tiger. 



To give a detailed account of each of the eight lions 

 and thirty odd elephants I shot during my trip to Somaliland, 

 would not only fill more space than I can spare, but might 

 also prove tedious to the ordinary reader. I propose, 

 therefore, to relate only the most interesting and exciting 

 of my adventures with these animals. 



Game was very plentiful at Arabsea, the whole country 

 being covered with green grass a foot or more in height. 

 And here as elsewhere in Somaliland I have come across 

 lions in the open when out looking for other game. Indeed, 

 their boldness in this respect is quite remarkable when 

 compared with the stealthy, skulking methods adopted by 

 tigers, as the following incident only one of many I could 

 quote will show. 



N 177 



