SIR S. W. BAKER'S "WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS."* COMING
from the pen of so mighty a hunter, this work will challenge the attention of all sportsmen. It is full of practical hints and of exciting stories. As a specimen of the first, we may instance the chapter on the gun; and of the second, quote the following encounter which the author had with a young rhinoceros :—
"The calf was about 31 ft. high, and was standing by the body of its mother, evidently ignorant of her death. As I cautiously approached, it looked much larger than when I had seen it at a distance, and I began to think the Arabs were right in their con- clusion. There was not much time for reflection, for the young tartar gave an angry shake of its ugly head, emitted the usual three sharp whiffs, and charged at me as fast as it could gallop. I jumped quickly backward by a large rock, and it passed within 3 ft. of me, but immediately halted, instead of continuing to the spot where the Arabs were in waiting with the ropes. It now turned round, and seeing me, it repeated its charge in reverse, as hard as it could go. I again jumped back, but as I did so, I delivered a lightning-like downward cut with Taber Noor's favourite sword. The young rhinoceros fell stone-dead, all in a heap."
The author explains the meaning of his title by saying that the "wild beasts" are to be killed, and that we must thoroughly understand their " ways " before killing them. But he never kills for mere killing's sake, and draws very sharply the line between the true sportsman and the meroi- • Wild Beasts and their Ways. By Sir Samuel W. Baker. London : Macmillan and 00. 1890.
less gunner. He has never hunted, he says, without a keen sense of enjoyment in studying the habits of the animals pursued. He has fairly earned the right, therefore, of speak- ing with authority concerning the habits and characters of the beasts which he describes. And some of his views are amusingly put. The question has often been raised, he says, "whether the elephant or the dog should be accepted as superior in intelligence." Sir Samuel has no doubt about the answer. His own experience leads him to say without hesitation that the dog is man's companion, the elephant is his slave. In case of danger, the dog will defend his master ; the elephant would not ; and while con- ceding that this animal's power of learning is extra-
ordinary, and that it can be educated to perform wonders, the author's opinion is that the elephant is "overrated." The tiger's character finds, of course, no favour with Sir Samuel ; but there is, he says, a nobility in the character of a lion which differs entirely from the slinking habits of tigers. But how does the " nobility " come in P It is the lion's habit
to be more careless of concealment, and this renders his de- struction comparatively easy. Is this carelessness due to courage? Stories of lions are endless, says Sir Samuel, "but my object in producing a few anecdotes, mostly of my own personal experience, is to elucidate the character of the animal by various examples, which prove the impossibility of laying down any fixed or invariable rule." However, he has no hesitation in pronouncing the tiger to be the more ferocious and formidable beast of the two.
The hippopotamus and the crocodile are wild beasts, whose habits and character will not bear investigation. The croco- diles are the worst, for that loathsome reptile combines cunning with its ferocity. Sir Samuel on one occasion refused to fire at a magnificent deer, and was murmured at by his companions for doing so. But with regard to crocodiles, he was a merciless gunner. And quite right too. He tells an amusing story of how a cow once caught a crocodile. A carious story is told by Herodotus about the little bird which played the toothpick for the crocodile. Sir Samuel writes as follows, and it is obvious that natural history does not repeat itself :—
" I have watched upon many occasions the stealthy advance of a crocodile to capture small birds, when in flights of many thousands they have settled upon the yielding branches of dwarf willows. The elastic boughs bent down beneath the weight of the innumerable flock, and the crocodile's head appeared above the surface at a distance, sank below, and quickly reappeared (the eyes and crown alone above the water) within ten yards of the unsuspecting birds, all of which were busily engaged in twittering excitement, quarrelling for places, and occasionally dipping their beaks in the water when the bending twigs permitted them to drink. In a few moments after the disappearance of the wary eyes, a tremendous splash was accompanied by a pair of open jaws, which swept the occupants of the lower branches into the greedy throat."
Of the buffalo's character, Sir Samuel speaks with dislike and respect. He played the part of a merciless gunner to the brute, because he regarded him as a dangerous nuisance. But he says with great emphasis that the true character of the animal is one of stubborn, unflinching courage. We have quoted from the " rhinoceros " chapter already, and should like to quote again the vivid account of an attack made by a white rhinoceros on one of Sir Samuel Baker's friends. We prefer, however, to quote his comment on the attack : "It must be remembered that this rhinoceros belonged to the so- called harmless species. This incident is sufficient to exhibit the utter fallacy of a belief that any kind of animal is in- variably harmless." There is an amusing illustration in the " deer " chapter, of the fact that sport is dearer to the author than natural history. "Although," he says, "I do not class deer-driving with the far nobler and more exciting sport of stalking, the driving is more instructive in affording a know- ledge of the habits of the animal." One of the most interesting chapters in this most interesting book treats of the American wapiti, which the author holds, and no doubt rightly holds, to be the "red-deer of Europe and Asia upon a larger scale." The wapiti, however, itself in this capital chapter is rather overshadowed. For the liveliest and merriest pages in the whole book are those which describe Lady Baker's journey with her husband, and with no attendants, over some trackless hills. They reach their goal at last, and their host and hostess are delighted to see them. They can kill the fatted calf for two, but hardly has he arrived when a visit from a lot of British lords and ladies is announced. Mrs. Peters, the hostess, is at first dumbfounded, but in the end all difficulties are overcome. How they are overcome is recorded by Sir Samuel with great vivacity, but the end of the feast is dis- turbed by a "wild beast," which upsets even his equanimity. What he did say the reader may imagine. What he does say here rims thus : "The skunk is an extraordinary creature, somewhat resembling the badger, and I cannot understand why Nature has arranged that an animal so lovely should be so repulsive in its odour. The size is that of a small cat. The skin is jet-black, of beautiful texture, long, furry, with white longitudinal stripes, one upon each side. The tail is of sufficient width and length of hair to completely conceal the animal when upraised."
These volumes, we may say in conclusion, form a thoroughly good and satisfactory piece of work. The author is no great master of literary style ; but his knowledge of what he writes about is great. His work, therefore, forms a good illustration of the truth of Horace's maxim,—
" Seribendi mete, sapere eat et principium et fons."
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