Missionary Travels and Researches in South AfricaLivingstone, David
Religion
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa
Livingstone, David
Missions -- South Africa; South Africa -- Description and travel
In general the lion's voice seems to come deeper from the chest
than that of the ostrich, but to this day I can distinguish between them
with certainty only by knowing that the ostrich roars by day and the
lion by night.
The African lion is of a tawny color, like that of some mastiffs. The
mane in the male is large, and gives the idea of great power. In some
lions the ends of the hair of the mane are black; these go by the name
of black-maned lions, though as a whole all look of the yellow tawny
color. At the time of the discovery of the lake, Messrs. Oswell and
Wilson shot two specimens of another variety. One was an old lion, whose
teeth were mere stumps, and his claws worn quite blunt; the other was
full grown, in the prime of life, with white, 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 lion 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 him. One we found was killed thus; and on the Leeambye another,
which died near Sesheke, had all the appearance of having received his
death-blow from a buffalo. It is questionable if a single lion ever
attacks a full-grown buffalo. The amount of roaring heard at night, on
occasions when a buffalo is killed, seems to indicate there are always
more than one lion engaged in the onslaught.
On the plain, south of Sebituane's ford, a herd of buffaloes kept a
number of lions from their 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 animals, for they have been seen to chase a tiger up the
hills, bellowing as if they enjoyed the sport. Lions never go near any
elephants except the calves, which, when young, are sometimes torn
by them; every living thing retires before the lordly elephant, yet a
full-grown one would be an easier prey than the rhinoceros; the lion
rushes off at the mere sight of this latter beast.
In the country adjacent to Mashue great numbers of different kinds of
mice exist. The ground is often so undermined with their burrows that
the foot sinks in at every step. Little haycocks, about two feet high,
and rather more than that in breadth, are made by one variety of these
little creatures. The same thing is done in regions annually covered
with snow for obvious purposes, but it is difficult here to divine the
reason of the haymaking in the climate of Africa.*
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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