The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-16
the WAY OF WILD BEASTS
II is Not Affection, But Fear, Which
Makes the Elephant
Serve Man.
The Lion Much Less Ferocious and
Formidable Than tho
Tiger.
gOmefhtng About the Rhtn0cerOs. the
Hsppop0sasnus. the Crocodile and
Other wild Animals.

10 WEtf HDDot Wttb thDs~ s1A ~sNS
observation - is Sir Samuel Baker. writes
NJ. ". Hazeltine in the New York Ledger.
70, nearly half q century he has been IN
explorer in Africa and Asia, as we'll rs IN
the least known parts OF America Eu-
rope. snJ he has never missed an opporfun-
ity of hunting big game" In tbs book
which he has recently published IN London.
under the title of Wild Beasts and Their
ways. he confines himself 90 ~recounting
what he has actually seen. but the range OF
his experience includes such interesting
members of the animal kingdom M the cle'
plant, the lion. the tiger. the leopard, the
rhiroceros, the hippopOtaTnus and tine
crocodile.
In Sir Samuel Bakers opinion the ele-
phant ia overrated by most naturaiists,
both as regards intelligence and character.
lie can be educated 30 perform certain
acts, when specially crIered, but unlike the
dog, he rever volunteers his services. The
author OF this book never saw an elephant
who would spontaneously interfere TO save
his master from drowning or from attack
He admits, nevertht eSs. thst an elephants
pover OF learning is Extraordinary, and that
his memory il reI arkable. After seven
months. absence in England. an elephant,
that SIR Samuel had the usc OF OH a pre-
viors visit TO India. recognized hiID at once
ON his return. 1t is not through affection.
however. bat hrOuph feat that an eiepnant
serves man. He IL by nature an excessively
timid animal and acUtsly sensitive 10 pain.
Fxuesieace has shown IL to be impossible
to direct the movements of an elephant by
simp,e kindness. He must know yOu 80
possess the power of inficting punishment.
IL one particular the elephant - superior
to most other animals. namely. IN us tree-
don. from agsy unyteas ,nt Ocor. Its skin ~
sweet. and the hand retains no smell after
csressing eas trunk or any other portion OF
the body. Sir Samuel has frequently en-
camped where fifty or sixty elephants would
be kept for xevc.a! days within a hundred
wards of his tent. Still there Was no onen-
siye scent. .
With regard to the lion, also, Sir Samuel
Bakers conclusions differ decidedly from
the notions banded down in books and
based for the most Fart on EntIust|oIthy
evidence. 1t is true that be credits the lion
with the traditional dignity OF appearance.
and h. holds that this ~ not altogether de-
Iusiye. but corresponds TO a certain nobility
of character. the lien being much more
reckless than the tiger IN exposing himself
to attack. He has 70 doubt that a lion
veuId weigh more than 4 tiger OF the same
length. In his opinion. however. the tor
mer animal is much less feroci0us and for
midabie than the latter. Tbs natives of
Genital Africa have. il seems, no fear Of the
lion when he 10 und ssErbed by hunters,
though. of course. when wounded y
stsndiug at bay ke is ~doubtabt enough.
On several occasions Sir Samuel himself
has seen lions close to him, when be had no
opportunity OF shooting, and tEeF have
invariably passed on without the
slightest signs of hostile feeling.
He evidently coes not believe
the stories 80 frequent in books OF
travel about night attacks by lions on the
oxen belonging TO wagons. In nine years
experience OF camp life IN Africa. both equa-
total and as far as fourteen degrees north
of the equator. Sir Samuel has never even
heard of any actual depreciation committed
by lions upon q camp or upon 2 nIgnis
biyouac He p~Ycnources equally spoc-
ryphal the tales of ioas jumping fences
with full grown bUllocks IN their grip.
they may burst through forces under such
circumstances. but rot jump them. Ii IS.
Fir Samuel assufes Us, an IEspossIb,Iity fOs
a Iior TO carry a full grown OK. AL it can
do is TO partially lift the fo,esuarters ofthe
victim and drag the carcass along the
ground. We find Two other interesting
details IN the observations of this veteran
Q; ortsnan. The lion and the tiger. We arc
told, attack In a different way. The tiger.
when springing IN It's caegy. does not
strike 2 crushing blow. but merely seiZes
with its claws. The lion. on the other
hand. strikes With such terrific force that
MANI a man has been killed outright as il
hit by a trip-harnmer. Az 10 the thorn al
legged to exist IL the extreme end OF a lions
tail. Sir Samuel says that tnIs phenomenon
though often disputed, il a fact. The 80
called thorn is "a sharp. horny point. which,
though only q quarter Of an inch IN length
and concealed by a tuft of black hair, will
If pressed by the finger, make itself felt m
mistakably.
lie size of the tiger 10 oye rated by those
wbo accept the tales CT travellers. OF wns
judge from the length of skins sold IN tn'
European OF American market, The aver
age weight Of tine BENGAL tiger. sccordin:
to Sir Samuel Baker. IL fIom 3J 30 40
pounds. IL IS rot impossible that thl
weight may sometimes reach 10 pounds
bu. the author OF this book has never see,
so heavy an animal. Wbsu tie animal j
fairly measured, withou. stretching. III
average length from poins OF noe 10 ;;p o
tail is nine feet slI inches. his - se.dO,
exceeded by more than q few inches Dn
tiger. when measured by Sir Same. pTOye
to be nine feet seven inches long: Dnt III
hide. when cured. was elsyeu feet fou
inches in length.
The strength of tie tiger IL also e1ae
gesated in the popular conception. Thu
1t Is often asserted that this animal CT
lift and carry Of q coz simply th-OBG
the power Of rs jews and neck. IBIS MOTTO
10 pronounced prepOsteInus- Lxt.eInei
small Is are the cattle % india. tosIT Eeigi
exCEr8S kLSE vi tIc LL%t1r E2lSs
cows body must drag on the ground. A
the weight Of an ordinary nstiyecoS ISIS
about that Of tie ave age tiger 4tnres huI
dEed and fifty 10 iouT buna-ed pounds. II
latter can. Of course- drag ITS own ~eIg.
by lifting ITS victim 5 boy partially III D
mouth and thus Iessensng the friction q
tie surface of the soil. IL j. = mistake
suppose that any tiger except the so-caIie
mzn-eatets5 attacks nan ~Ith the ;nfentil
of eating him IS II natural pes. III
greater number Of accidents are occasions
by ti2e:s which have 10 idea Of making
meal Of their victims. and which. - u ma
ter of fact. leave Uneaten tls men that In.
have killed. IEe7 are usually prompt.
by the instinct OF seif-defense. Even Il
man-eater. which - usually an old az
coSardIy tiger. or more commonly tigres
attacks men not 80 much Deczcse Of AZ
scquirec preference for human flesh as b
cause IL Is easier to Kill a native yiIlag
than to hunt for the scarce jungle gam
The difficulty experienced AZ killing a Insl
eater Is due. NO: 10 any superiority of cOu
age over other tigers. bot. on the eontral
TO its exceptional cunning ard caution.
il q sneak thief.
Of the chapter devoted by SIr Samuel
the various species of Ieopsrds. by far {
most interesting sections relate 10 {
cbeetsh. or hunting Leopard, which ia Ina
and Persia has from time I~rrsnsmorial be
tanned and trained fos the purpose Of h1I
ing deer and sBsesOpes. This animal
entirely different from other leopar,
having long legs, q light body a 10
neck. . small head and large and plercl
ewes. The cheetah IL generally admit
10 be the fastest animal II the uDY