THE COLONEL KILLS THREE ELEPHANTS 145 



the group of animals and finally decided which ones 

 were the best for the group. 



Two of the largest cows and the calf of one of 

 them were selected. It is always the desire of col- 

 lectors who kill groups of animals for museums to 

 kill the calf and the mother at the same time when- 

 ever practicable, so that neither one is left to mourn 

 the loss of the other. It is one of the unpleasant 

 features of group collecting that calves must be 

 killed, but the collector justifies himself in the 

 thought that many thousands of people will be 

 instructed and interested in the group when it is 

 finished. 



Elephant hunting is considered by many Afri- 

 can hunters as being the most dangerous of all 

 hunting. When a man is wounded by an elephant 

 he is pretty likely to die, whereas the wounds in- 

 flicted by lions are often not necessarily mortal 

 ones. Also, in fighting a wounded lion one may 

 sometimes take refuge in the low branches of a tree, 

 but with a wounded elephant there is rarely time to 

 climb high enough and quick enough to escape the 

 frenzied animal. In elephant shooting, also, the 

 hunter endeavors to approach within twenty or 

 thirty yards, so that the bullets may be placed ex- 

 actly where their penetration will be the most 

 instantaneously deadly. Consequently, a badly 

 placed bullet may merely infuriate the elephant 

 without giving the hunter time to gain a place of 

 safety, and thus be much worse than if the hunter 

 had entirely missed his mark. 



