194 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



of British East Africa with much better manes than those 

 inhabiting the warmer lower country. Some people with 

 good experience aver that lions lose their manes through 

 inhabiting thick thorn bush, as they get the hair matted 

 and tangled with blood when feeding, and it is then caught 

 by thorns and pulled out. I have seen lion hair hanging to 

 a thorn bush when a maneater that had killed a woman had 

 gone off with some of the flesh, and lain under this bush 

 eating it. He left a little hair behind, but this is no proof 

 that thorns would make a lion lose all its mane, as it would 

 keep growing. 



Lions originally came from cold and temperate zones, 

 and all animals inhabiting cold countries are hairier than 

 those which live in the more tropical parts of the earth, so 

 there is little doubt that a cold climate is responsible for 

 the profusion of a lion's mane. 



Large lions have been killed weighing over 5oolb. but 

 few will be shot weighing more than 4oolb. It depends 

 greatly whether a lion is weighed before or after a good 

 meal, as I think he can easily stow away quite yolb. weight 

 of meat when famished with hunger, and lions are usually 

 rather hungry, often going without food for several days. 

 Then they will eat anything that is eatable, and they are 

 not averse to having a dessert of masuko plums, when these 

 are ripe and fallen on the ground. 



Lions are most dangerous on dark, rainy nights, for in 

 the rains most of the antelopes scatter all over the country, 

 as water is plentiful everywhere. They do most of their 

 killing in the hot and dry season by lying in wait at the 

 isolated water holes, and at favourite drinking places on 

 rivers. They do most of their hunting by scent and 

 hearing ; and, regarding this fact, the colouration of animals 

 is no help to them in escaping, and they have to depend on 

 their own hearing, scent, and speed for safety. This is 

 where the closet naturalist falls into the trap with regard to 

 so-called protective colouration of animals preyed on by 

 others ; and, although many more able men than myself 

 have written on this subject, I intend to give a few lines on 



