142 
LIONS AND BUFFALOES. 
Chap. VII. 
mere stumps, and Ids cl^^ws worn quite blunt; the other was full 
grown, in the prime of life, with wliite perfect teeth; both were 
entirely destitute of mane. The lions, in the country near the 
lake, give tongue less than those further south. We scarcely 
ever heard them roar at all. 
The Hon has other checks on inordinate increase besides man. 
He seldom attacks full-grown animals; but frequently, when a 
buffalo calf is caught by him, the cow rushes to the rescue, and a 
toss from her often kills liim. One we found was killed thus; 
and on the Leeambye another, which died near Sesheke, had all 
the appearance of having received Ins death-blow from a buffalo. 
It is questionable if a single lion ever attacks a full-grown buffalo. 
The amount of roarmg heard at night, on occasions when a buffalo 
is killed, seems to indicate there are always more than one lion 
engaged m the onslaught. 
On the plain, south of Sebituane’s ford, a herd of buffaloes 
kept a number of hons from thefr young by the males turning 
their heads to the enemy. The young and the cows were in the 
rear. One toss from a bull would kill the strongest lion that 
ever breathed. I have been informed that in one part of India 
even the tame buffaloes feel their superiority to some wild ani¬ 
mals, for they have been seen to chase a tiger up the hills, bel¬ 
lowing as if they enjoyed the sport. Lions never go near any 
elephants except the calves, wliich, when young, are sometimes 
torn by them; every Hviug tiling retires before the lordly ele¬ 
phant, yet a full-grown one would be an easier prey than the 
rlunoceros; the hon rushes off at the mere sight of tliis latter 
beast. 
In the country adjacent to Mashue gxeat numbers of different 
kinds of mice exist. The gromid is often so undermined vdth 
their burrows, that the foot sinks m at every step. Little hay¬ 
cocks, about two feet liigh, and rather more than that in breadth, 
are made by one variety of these little creatiu’es. The same 
tiling is done in regions annually covered with snow for obvious 
[.urposes, but it is difficult here to divine the reason of the hay¬ 
making in the climate of Africa.* 
* Euryotis unisulcatiis (F. Cuvier), Mus jpumelio (Spar.), and Mus lehocla 
(Smith), all possess this habit in a greater or less degree. The first-named 
may he seen escaping danger with its young hanging to the after-part of its body. 
