EAST AFRICAN MAMMALS. 725 



saw that the leader was a maned lion, followed by another full- 

 grown and four nenrly full-grown cuhs. At the first shot these 

 nuide off, but concluding that thty must come to water some 

 time, I had a little stockade — perhaps ten feet long by five feet 

 -wide— constructed between two small trees about fifty yards from 

 the water. At i p.m. in the afternoon I took up residence in 

 this little cage and awaited events. 



All was very peaceful except for some fifty or more doves assem- 

 bled around the water-hole ; at intervals of ten minutes these took 

 fright and with much clatter flew to the surrounding trees, but 

 soon returned to the waterside. A Imge flock of guinea-fowl fed 

 up to within fifteen feet of our hiding place. Little else occurred 

 to break the monotony of our wait until 6 p.m. : thiee fine eland, 

 but with very average horns, emerged from the thorn-bush 

 scrub and came within fifteen to thirty feet of the hide-up, the 

 nearest was certainly not more than fifteen feet away. The boy 

 had set two gin-traps by the water's edge and had been told to 

 remove the pins, Avhich he said had been done : fearful lest the 

 antelope should get caught in these, I scrambled up the palisade 

 (some nine feet in height), shouted, shoo'd, growled and wildly 

 waved my arms in an eflibrt to scare them away. The stupid 

 creatures stood stock still for fully two minutes before wheelincr 

 and cantering off. 



From 7 to 9 p.m. I slept a good deal, though constantly aware 

 of the presence of hoofed animals in the vicinity : these ap- 

 proached the water with great caution and then stampeded, indi- 

 viduals passing within a few feet of our stockade on several 

 occasions. I imagine it was shortly after 9 o'clock (the boy had 

 mislaid the matches, so Ave could not have a light, even had we 

 desired one) that I suddenly became wide awake with a strong 

 sense of something wrong. A lion was padding round the 

 stockade and snulUing at times ; he Avas within five feet of me, but 

 vainly I sought to pierce the darkness to get a shot. The foot- 

 steps Avould cease, but at Avhat angle to fire I could not decide, 

 and I was above all anxious not to leave a legacy of a wounded 

 lion behind for the local natives, twelve of whom had been carried 

 oflf by lions in this district in the preceding month. These deaths 

 had occurred for the most part along one stretch of road about 

 twenty miles in length in broad daylight, so tliat the road was 

 now taboo. 



Gradually I realised that more than one lion Avas paying us 

 attention, as heavy breathing could be plainly heard at several 

 difl'erent points, and at times it seemed that some were lying 

 down Avhilst their companion tried to scare us out. The smell of 

 them Avas very strong in my nostrils; my companion, who had 

 wept himself to sleep at the prospect of an aAvful end, still slum- 

 bered peacefully. With startling suddenness a loud grunt Avas- 

 given pei'haps tAventy feet aAvay, it was folloAved immediately by 

 a noise of animals rushing straight toAvards us. I Avaked the boy 

 just as I Avas able to distinguish the liammer of hoofs, and a herd 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1923, No. XLVIII. 48 



