NATURAL HISTORY. 261 
The lion, entirely absent from the coast region between 
the Congo and Sierra Leone, begins to be heard of at 
Stanley Pool; and farther into the interior there is no 
doubt that he exists. Some of the more influential chiefs — 
here have lions’ skins. Makoko, the chief of the Ba-teke, 
received De Brazza seated on one of these, which has now, 
with other insignia of royalty, passed to his successor. 
The natives describe his appearance and imitate his 
roaring so well that there is no doubt that they have 
come into contact with the king of beasts. I have seen 
several villages on the north or western bank of the Congo 
barricaded carefully against the probable attacks of lions, 
and every night the live-stock was regularly driven into 
this stockaded fortress. Further, the Zanzibaris aver that 
once when they went to buy fowls from a village nearly 
opposite the Kwa River, called Ganchu, they crept into 
their canoes at night and preferred to sleep on the water, 
because the hon roared so loudly in their proximity. 
Two or three species of tiger-cats are common, and 
destroy much poultry. One appears to be Felis serval ; 
the others I have not had means of identifying. 
The hyzna is often spoken of by the natives, and is, 
according to their account, the striped species. The — 
civet-cat (Viverra).is prized for its scent-bag, but does 
not seem to be very common. Genets are constantly 
met with, and make charming house-pets. Their kittens 
are the most amusing little creatures imaginable, and 
exhibit more playfulness when young than any animal I 
know. 
The only Canis apparently present on the Congo is 
C. lateralis, the side-striped jackal. The black-backed 
jackal may possibly also be found, but I have never seen 
any sign of it. Potamogale, the curious. otter-like in- 
sectivore, possibly inhabits the Upper river, to judge by 
the skins brought down by the natives. I have also seen 
Chrysochlorus, the golden mole. . 
The manatee (Manatus) never passes, as far as we yet 
know, the cataracts of the Congo, but confines itself to the 
Lower river. A species of river dolphin, allied possibly to 
