KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADBMIENS HAKDLINQAR. BAND 48. N:0 5. 73 



When speaking about Lions Dr. S. L. Hinde, Provincial Commissioner in 

 Mombasa, told me that these animals on the Athi plains formerly were much more 

 diurnal in their habits than they are now. It was then a common sight to see 

 Lions move about, and even catch their prey in broad daylight. The black in the 

 mane of a crouching Lion resembled the scattered black stones on these plains. 



Lions are still rather common on the plains and come sometimes rather close 

 to Nairobi, where a gentleman was severely mauled by a Lioness last winter 1910 — 11. 

 Several such accidents happen every year and end not seldom with the death of the 

 victim. As His Excellency, Governor Jackson told me the Lion hardly ever kills a 

 man outright on the spot, even if the wounds afterwards prove fatal. Lionesses 

 with small cubs may attack without provocation, otherwise it is only wounded ani- 

 mals, and such as have been pursued by hunters mounted on horseback and find 

 that they cannot escape that become dangerous. It is the rule in British East Af- 

 rica that a wounded Lion charges furiously, but there are exceptions even from that 

 rule. One of the last days of my stay in Nairobi I heard from the Game Warden 

 Mr. WoosNAM that he had the day before pursued a wounded Lion in a papyrus- 

 thicket \ but it tried to escape until the last moment. When not wounded the Lions 

 as a rule try to escape as quietly as Jackals as I observed a couple of times myself. 



When there is abundance of big game the Lions do not often attack cattle. 

 That they appear to be especially fond of Ostrich meat has been mentioned in my 

 paper on the birds collected by this Expedition. 



On the acacia steppe near Itiolu river I saw ^Iz the remains of a fuUgrown 

 Oryx on which 5 Lions (2 females and 3 grown up cubs) had fed. These remains 

 consisted of the head, the vertebral column with short stumps of the ribs, the pelvis, 

 3 of the legs, and pieces of the lungs. The ears and the nasal cartilages (as well as 

 the cartilages of other parts) were completely gnawed away. The skin was also eaten 

 except a big piece on the forehead. 65 paces from the place where these remains 

 were found the Oryx had been killed, and there the missing foreleg had been left 

 together with the stomach. It appears as if the Lions always use to remove the 

 stomach and intestines of the prey soon after it is killed, and scratch sand and earth 

 over them if the ground is such that it can be done. This has been observed by 

 others as well as by myself. Sometimes the Lion appears to condescend to prey on 

 rather small animals. On the southern side of Guaso Nyiri I found one day the 

 remains of a Porcupine which my experienced gunbearer said had been killed and 



eaten by a »Simba». 



How far north the distribution of this race extends I cannot say, but it is 

 probable that it inhabits the steppe country even to the northeast of Kenia. A 

 Lioness shot by Mr. A. Sjogren near Itiolu river, a tributary from the south to 

 Guaso Nyiri measured in total length 244 cm. 83 cm. of which was the length of 



the tail. 



Lions are not uncommon on the acacia steppe south of Guaso Nyiri. 



1 A proceeding which is almost beyond the limits of bravery even for an experienced sportsman! 



K. Sv Vet. Akad. Handl. Band 48. N:o 5. •' 



