14 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



newly dead, without any obvious cause to account for 

 their death. 



Up to a year old the cubs are quite unfit to leave their 

 mother ; their teeth are fragile things, and, though 

 as big and heavy as the biggest dogs, the young animals 

 have still a long time before them ere they can take 

 the field free from maternal guidance. Indeed, I believe 

 that it takes eighteen months at least before they learn 

 to kill their prey properly, and the care and trouble taken 

 by the mother and her mate in teaching them to do so, 

 as well as the amateur results attending their early 

 efforts, are well known. To complete their education 

 properly it is necessary and usual for the lioness to 

 devote all her energies to instructing them during this 

 period, which would by no means be possible had she 

 another and younger family demanding its share of 

 protection ; and it must be remembered that no animals 

 regard previous offspring after the birth of fresh young 

 ones. I do not think that, during twelve years of observ- 

 ation of lions' habits in the Reserve, any of the staff 

 ever noticed a female accompanied by cubs of different 

 ages. 



The family life of lions is probably carried on as follows : 

 a single lion and lioness are hunting together, and have 

 a family of three cubs, say, two females and a male. At 

 first a piece of dense bush, or the reeds near water, is 

 used as a nursery, in which the little ones remain con- 

 tinuously concealed, while the parents, lying up with 

 them by day, at night sally forth to seek food. Little 

 tit-bits are, after a time, brought home for the youngsters, 

 and as soon as they are strong enough, they begin to 

 accompany their parents on short excursions, and the 

 nursery is abandoned. After an animal has been killed, 

 the cubs approach and take their share, the mother 



