THE LION 15 



often assisting and instructing them. When they are about 

 half-grown they begin to take their part in the killing, 

 acting as seconds to their parents, who see that they 

 come to no harm. It is at this time that great destruction 

 is sometimes wrought among flocks of native sheep 

 and goats by a family of lions. On one occasion while 

 a native child was herding some of the former, about a 

 mile from his village, and in broad daylight, a lioness 

 with two well-grown cubs suddenly emerged from a 

 neighbouring donga and fell upon them, killing the 

 whole lot, about twenty in number, in a few minutes. 



After the first year, when the large canine teeth have 

 shown themselves, and the youngsters have attained 

 not only to formidable size, but to considerable ex- 

 perience in hunting, the elders often allow them to do the 

 killing, themselves standing by to direct and assist when 

 necessary. An animal killed by young lions is always 

 much mauled and torn, its appearance contrasting 

 vividly with that of one killed in the clean and effective 

 manner distinctive of seniors. On one occasion, when 

 the stock at Sabi Bridge were unlucky enough to walk 

 into a family of lions, a half-grown beast tried to tackle 

 one of the donkeys by himself ; but his efforts proved 

 of so amateur a nature that the animal escaped with a 

 few slight wounds. While they are still living with their 

 parents, one out of the three cubs originally born, in all 

 probability, will have died from some cause or another, 

 and one male and one female remain. They are now 

 practically grown up, and are able to take their full 

 share of the work. 



When the male is about three years old his mane is 

 becoming developed, and, in consequence of trouble with 

 his father, he leaves the family circle, and, joining forces 

 with another bachelor a little older than himself, hence. 



