■^ The Capturing of a Lion 



The extermination of wild life has been almost as great 

 a disaster to the lions as to the bushmen of South Africa. 

 Extermination awaits bushman and lion in their turn — 

 not through hunger alone. 



I was more fortunate in my attempt to get a fine 

 example of the striped hyena {Hyena sckillingsi, Mtsch.), 

 which I had previously discovered, and in bringing it to 

 Germany, where I presented it to the Berlin Zoological 

 Gardens. On page 501 is to be seen a picture of one of 

 this species caught in a trap. Orgeich, my plucky 

 assistant, had armed himself with a big cudgel, for use in 

 the case of the beast attacking him, but never lost his 

 equanimity, and smoked his indispensable and inseparable 

 pipe the whole time ! Another illustration is of a hyena 

 which was confined in the camp. This fine specimen, 

 an old female, was very difficult to take to the coast. 

 Something like forty bearers were needed to transport 

 the heavy iron apparatus with its inmate as far as Tanga. 

 This representative of its species was one of the first 

 brought alive to Europe, and lived for several years in 

 the Berlin Zoological Gardens. 



It is less troublesome to obtain possession of smaller 

 beasts of prey. Thus I kept three jackals ( Tkos. schmidti^ 

 Noack) in my camp until they became quite reconciled to 

 their fate. It is very interesting to study the various 

 characteristics of animals at such times. Some adapt 

 themselves very easily to their altered circumstances ; 

 others of the same species do so only after a long struggle. 

 The study of animal character can be carried on very well 

 under the favourable conditions of camp life in the wild. 



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