7 6 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



The next day I returned home ; there were no more 

 hippo about and elephants seemed scarce, as I had only 

 seen some very old tracks. . 



Before closing this chapter I would like to give my 

 reader some idea as to the damage elephants are capable 

 of doing to native crops. 



The late Mr. G. P. Sanderson, author of " Thirteen 

 Years Among the Wild Beasts of India/' in that volume 

 gives details about the appetite of Indian elephants, and, as 

 the African species is larger, their daily rations will be as 

 great, if not greater. Sanderson had great experience of 

 Indian elephants, as for years he was in charge of the 

 Government keddahs in different districts in India, and he 

 made a special study of their habits. 



He remarks that an ordinary elephant will consume 

 6oolb. to yoolb. of green fodder in eighteen hours, and that 

 a big tusker can dispose of quite Soolb. 



Let us take the figure yoolb. as the average amount for a 

 single elephant in twenty-four hours; then a herd consisting 

 of thirty animals, not an exceptionally large herd in parts of 

 Africa, would eat 2i,ooolb. weight of green stuff every day. 



This is a large amount to be consumed daily, or rather 

 nightly, for elephants, although they often ravage native 

 crops in daylight, prefer the night as a rule. It can, there- 

 fore, be easily imagined that in districts where elephants 

 are numerous the damage they do may cause famine 

 among the natives. 



Hippos also do great damage to the native gardens, and 

 near large rivers they leave the water at night and feed on 

 the green crops, and, as they weigh about half as much as 

 an elephant, we may calculate that a single hippo can eat 

 35olb. of fodder during a night's feeding. 



Then, other game, such as eland, kudu, sable, roan, and 

 hartebeest, all inv,ade native gardens and do great damage. 

 A herd of eland can eat and destroy just as much grain as 

 would a herd of large cattle. 



In this district (Central Angoniland) elands are very 

 plentiful, and the natives have to make strong fences to 



