ch. xi] CHEETAH AND SERVAL 281 
Kermit also rode down and killed two cheetahs and a 
serval, and got a bad tumble while chasing a jackal, his 
horse turning a complete somersault through a thorny 
bush. This made seven cheetahs that he had killed—a 
record unequalled for any other East African trip of the 
same length; and the finding and galloping down of 
these cheetahs—going at breakneck speed over any and 
every kind of ground, and then shooting them either 
from foot or horseback—made one of the noteworthy 
features of our trip. One of these two cheetahs had 
just killed a steinbuck. The serval was with its mate, 
and Kermit watched them for some time through his 
glasses before following them. There was one curious 
feature of their conduct. One of them was playing 
about, now near the other, now leaving it; and near by 
was a bustard, which it several times pretended to stalk, 
crawling toward it a few yards, and then standing up 
and walking away. The bustard paid no heed to it; 
and, more singular still, two white-necked ravens lit 
close to it, within a few yards on either side ; the serval 
sitting erect between them, seemingly quite unconcerned 
for a couple of minutes, and then strolling off without 
making any effort to molest them. I can give no 
explanation of the incident; it illustrates afresh the 
need of ample and well-recorded observations by trust¬ 
worthy field naturalists, who shall go into the wilderness 
before the big game, the big birds, and the beasts of 
prey vanish. Those pages of the book of nature which 
are best worth reading can best be read far from the 
dwellings of civilized man ; and for their full interpreta¬ 
tion we need the services, not of one man, but of many 
men, who, in addition to the gift of accurate observation, 
shall if possible possess the power fully, accurately, and 
with vividness to write about what they have observed. 
