The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-03-14
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS.

There is no man living SO well
qualified to write about wild animals
from PERSONAL lSobservation as is Sir
Samuel Baker. For nearly halt a
century he has been an explorer in
Africa and Asia as well as in.the least
known parts of America and Europe,
and he has never missed an oppor-
tunity of hunting big game. In the
book which he has recently pub
lished in London under the title OF
wild Beasts and their Ways" he
himself to recounting what
he has actually seen, but the range
OF his experience includes such in
teresting members of the animal
kingdom as the elephant, the lion,
the tiger, the leopard, the rhinoceroS,
the hippopotamus and the crocodile.
In Sir Samuel Bakers opinion the
elephant is overrated by most natur-
alists, both as regards intelligence
and character. He can be educated
to perform certain acts, when speCi-
ally ordered, but unlike the dog, he
never volunteers his service. The
author O. this book never saw an
elephant who would spontaneously
interfere to save Ehis master from
drowning or from attack. He ad.
mits nevertheless, that an elephant S
power of learning is extraordinary,
and that his memory is remarkable.
Alter seven months absence in Eng
land, an elephant, that Sir Samuel
had the use of on a previous visit to
India, recognized HIM at once on
his return. 1t is not through atfec-
ton, however, but through fear that
an elephant serves man. He is by
nature an excessively timid animal
and actually sensitive to pain. Ex-
perience has shown it to be impos-
sible to direct the movements of an
elphant by simple kindness. He
must knew you to possess the power
OF inhicting punishment. In one
particular the elephant is superior to
most other animals, namely, in its
freedom from any unpleasant odor.
Its skin is sweet and the hand re-
tains no smell after caressing the
trunk or any other portion of the
body. Sir Samuel has frequently
encamped where fifty Or sixty ele-
plants would be kept for several
days within a hundred yards of his
tent. Still there was no offensive
scent.
With regard to the lion, also, Sir
Samuel Bakers conclusions differ
decidedly from the notions handed
down in books and based for the
most part on untrustworthy evi,
dence. 1t is true that he credits the
lion with the traditional dignity O.
appearance, md he holds that this
is not altogether delusive, but cor.
responds to a certain nobility O
character, the lion being much more
reckless than the tiger in exposing
himself TO attack. He has no doubt
that lion would weigh more than {
tiger of same length. In his opinion
however, the former animal is much
less ferocious and formidable thar
the latter. The natives of Centra
Africa have, it seems, no fear of the
lion when he is undisturbed by
hunters, though, Of course, wher
wounded and standing at bay is re
doubtable enough. On several oc
casions Sir Samuel himself has seer
lions close to him, when he had NJ
opportunity of shooting, and they
have invariably passed on withou
the slightest signs OF hostile feeling
He evidently does not believe th'
stories $50 frequent in books oftravel
about night attacks by lions on th'
oxen belonging to wagons. In nine
years experience of camp-life il
Africa, both equatorial and as far a