NUMBER OF CUBS AT BIRTH 87 



known lions to remain for days in the neighbour- 

 hood of the putrid carcases of elephants, on which 

 they fed nightly, in preference to hunting for fresh 

 meat, although game of all kinds was plentiful in the 

 neighbourhood. Two instances of lions eating the 

 flesh of one of their own kind have come under my 

 personal observation, and although such a practice 

 is undoubtedly of unusual occurrence, yet I should 

 imagine that, provided hunger and opportunity were 

 both present, there are few lions that would disdain 

 a meal off the carcase of an individual of their own 

 species. 



Although I am informed that lionesses in captivity 

 often give birth to four, and sometimes to as many 

 as five or six cubs, in the wild state the usual 

 number is certainly three, and of these a large 

 number, for some reason which has never been 

 ascertained, never reach maturity, for it is seldom 

 that lionesses are met with accompanied by more 

 than two large cubs, and they often only rear one. 



It is an axiom that all birds and mammals living 

 in countries where the climatic conditions are favour- 

 able, and where they have no enemies, will increase 

 in numbers up to the limit of the food-supply avail- 

 able for them. When the ground becomes over- 

 stocked, diseases break out, which only the strongest 

 and healthiest animals are able to resist, and these 

 survivors perpetuate the race, which will once more 

 increase and multiply up to a certain point. But 

 what is it that checks the inordinate increase of 

 carnivorous animals? They certainly do not go 

 on increasing in numbers up to the limit of their 

 food - supply, otherwise there are many parts of 

 Africa in which, before the advent of the white 

 man, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyaenas, and wild 

 dogs, not to mention all the smaller carnivora, 

 would have increased to such an extent that they 

 would gradually have denuded the country of all 



