NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



To destroy wantonly the useful animals of the 

 country which the Creator has provided to main- 

 tain the balance of nature, either indicates gross 

 ignorance or callous indiflEerence to the welfare of 

 the people who are courageously struggling to 

 develop all the natural advantages of the country, 

 in order than an ever -increasing number of people 

 may be able to make a livelihood in it. 



The Aard Vark is often hunted and killed solely 

 for the sake of its skin which is exceedingly tough 

 and durable, making good straps for yokes. 



When chased and hard pressed the Aard Vark 

 gallops with curved back in a series of bounds, 

 aided by its tail. 



Although clumsy and ungainly, this curious 

 animal is tremendously strong. We surprised and 

 brought one of them to bay on a moonlight night, 

 and it succeeded several times in actually breaking 

 away from eight stalwart Kaffirs. 



Lying in the cover afforded by a dense patch of 

 scrub at dawn, on the look-out for a Leopard which 

 had been attacking stock in the neighbourhood, I 

 saw a dark object pass rapidly along at some little 

 distance, and next instant observed that it had 

 thrown itself upon an animal, which turned out to 

 be a large Aard Vark. The aggressor proved to be 

 a Leopard. The intended victim bunched its body 

 up, and keeping its head out of harm's way between 

 its front legs, it shook the Leopard off repeatedly, 

 and actually dug itself into the earth and escaped. 



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