The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-09-02
Our @lio.
Wild Beasts and Their Ways.


NJ. W. Hazeltine. in N. y. Ledger.
There is no man living so well qualified
to write about wild animals from personal
observation as Sir Samuel Baker For
nearly half a century he has been an ex-
plorer in Africa and Asia as we'll as in the
least known parts Of America and Europe,
and he has never missed an opportunity of
hunting "big game" In the book which
be has recently published in London un-
der the title of Wild Beasts and their
Ways, he confines himself to recounting
what he has actually seen, but the range
of his experience includes such interesting
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 ele-
plant is overrated by most naturalists, both
as regards intelligence and character. He
can be educated to perform certain acts,
when specially ordered, bat unlike the dog,
he never volunteers his service. The au-
thor of this book never saw an elephant
who would spontaneously interfere to save
his master from drowning or from attack.
He admits, nevertheless, that an elephants s
power of learning is extraordinary, and
that his memory is remarkable. After
seven months absence in England, an ele-
plant. that Sir Samuel had the use of on
previous visit to India, recognized him
at once on his return. 1t is not through
affection, however, but through fear that
an elephant serves man. He is by nature
an excessively timid animal and aeutely
sensitive to pain. Experience has shown
it to be impossible to direct the movements
of an elephant by simple kindness. He
must know you to possess the power of in
aicting punishment In one particular
the elephant is superior to most other ami
mails, namely, in its freedom from any m
pleasant odor. Its skin Is sweet and the
hand retains no smell after caressing the
trunk or any other portion of the body.
Sir Samuel has frequently encamped where
gfty or sixty elephants 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 Sam
uel Bakers conclusions differ decidedly
from the notions handed down in books
and based for the most part on untrpst=
worthy evidence. 1t Is true that he cred
its the lion with the traditional dignity of
appearance, and he holds that this is not
altogether delusive, but corresponds to .
certain nobility of character, the lion being
much more reckless than the tiger in eK-
posing himself to attack. He has no
doubt that lion would weigh more than a
tiger of same length. In his opinion, how
ever, the former animal is much less fero-
cious and formidable than the latter. The
natives of Central AFRICA haYp, if seems,
no fear of the lion when he is undistnrbed
by hunters. though, Of course, when
wounded and standing at bay Is redoubtablo
enough. On several occasions Sir Samuel
himself has seen lions close TO him, when
he had no opportunity of shooting, and
they have invariably passed on without
the slightest signs of hostile feeling. He
evidently does not believe the stories $50
frequent IN books Of trayel) about night
attacks by lions on the oxen belonging to
wagons. In nine years experience Of
camp-life in Africa, both equatorial and as
far as fourteen degrees north of the equa-
tor, Sir Samuel has never even heard of
any actual depreciation committed by lions
upon camp or upon nights bivouac.
He pronounces equally apocryphal the
tales of lions jumping fences with full
grown bullacks in their grip. They may
burst through fences under such eircum-
stances, but not jump them. 1t is, Sir
Samuel assures us, an impossibility for a
lion to carry a full-growp OK. Al il can
do is to partially lift The foreqqarters of
the victim and drag the carcass along the
ground. We find two other interesting
details in the observations of this veteran
sportsman. The lion and the tiger, We
are told, attack in different way. The
tiger, when springing ON its enemy, does
not strike . crushing blow, but merely
seizes with its claws. The lion, on the
other hand, strikes with such terrific force
that many man has been killed outright
as if hit by trip-hammer. As to the
thorn alleged to exist in the extreme end
of lions tail, Sir Samuel says that this
phenomenon, though often disputed is a
fact. The so-called thorn is sharp,
horny point, which, although only quar-
fer Of an inch in length and concealed by
a tuff Of black hair, will, if pressed by the
finger, make itself felt Enthusiastically
The size of the tiger is overrated by
those who accept the tales of travellers, or
who Judge from the length Of the skins
sold in the European or American market.
The average weight of the Bengal tiger,
according to Sir Samuel Baker, Is from
three hundred and fifty to four hundred
pounds. 1t is not impossible that the
weight may sometimes reach five hundred
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