THE BOOK OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1966, 24 January 1914, Page 11

THE BOOK OF THE DAY.

WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD. Photographing Wild Animals. One of the most interesting and most handsomely-produced works issued during tho English winter publishing season is ''\Vild Life Across tlie World.". Written and illustrated by Cherry Kearton, with an introduction by Tneodoro Koofevelt (London, Rodder and Stoughton; Wellington, S. and W. Mackay and Whitcombo and Tombs). In, this liandsome quarto, Mr. Kearton describes, his experiences and adventures whilst engaged in plior tcgraphirig wild animals 111 various pSirts of the world, moro especially in that paradise of big game-hunters, East Africa. ' Mr. Kearton is one of two brothers, Cherry and' Jtichard, whose names 'havo become famous in connection with tho photographing of English birds, from life. .Sinco tho enormously increased popularity of kincmatograph entertainments, tho services of tlio Kearton brothers have been in great- demand in obtaining photographic studies of wild life, and iii this connection, Mr. Cherry Kearton, the author of the splendid work now under notice, . has visited many distant parts of the world. He now recounts for.the information.and entertainment of tho reading' public, his. adventure? and experiences in pursuit of "good subiects." His .narrative -is a singularly curious and interesting one, throwing much new light upon tho production of natural history pictures, and incidentally conveying much valuable information as to the habits of the wild creatures ho has had before his' camera. Tho author's brother, Jvichard, contributes an interesting preface, in which ho tells how the brothers first took up photography as a hobby when they were office boys in London, and how they gradually developed their speciality of photographing bird life. Of his brother, Cherry, Mr. Richard Kearton . gives, a pleasant, little sketch. A doged fixity o.f .purpose'is, he says, one of his brother's most salient- traits; That this is the case is proved by many of the incidents recorded in. his book. Mr. Roosevelt's preface is also most eulogistic in tone.

Lassoing a Lien, Four chapters are devoted to an account of some of Mr. Kearton's . experiences with the Kearton-'Jones expedition to East Africa for.the purpo's6 of lassoing and photographing wild game. The party was a largo one, consisting of eleven Europeans, and soni.o .three hundred natives. Mr. Kearton succeeded in getting some wonderful pictures, but for some time; the safari, or party, met with bad fortune so far, as lions were concerned. Giraffe, zebra)' rhinos, leopards, antelope were - lassoed'by tho American experts who accompanied Mr. Kearton,, but for,a long time few lions were sighted, and when they were, conditions were against effective pictures. Eventually, however, the luck turned. A splendid lioness was sighted, and pursued. For some time, however, it was impossible to get near her, impossible, says Mr. Kearton, "to do...anything- save shoot her/' and thafjveas.jprecteoiy.i'not what the hunters wanted" to do." At last she left her stand ill an opening m tile rocks and Means, one of the cowboys, worked close up' 1 for'a throw. The noose fell fairly over her . neck,-but she seemed to realise her danger, and with marvellous rapidity, slipped the lasso off. . . . Suddenly she dived into tho spruit (hollow) and took shelter amongst some bush. . . . The £rass v .-as fired ant! crackers thrown in without result ; but at last she showed herself sufHcientlv to allow Loveless to have another throw. As lie did she seemed to divine he was the immediate enemy,. and sprung at ' him, just missing him. Then she was back in tho spruit again, amongst the grass. It was here ■that we filially got her. Whilst I brought the camera up to within* twenty yards, Loveless threw his rope, so that the noose rested 011 the grass above her head, and passed the other end over the branch of a thorn tree. Then, as coolly as though he were going to catch a sheep, Jones went forward, a long stick in his hand, and from the hank above, pushed the noose down ■ 011 to 'her. Naturally she sprang at him, but she also sprang through the noose, which caught round one hind lee. The rest happened very quickly. Almost before we realised it sho was being hauled up to the branch of that tree; then she was hanging head downwards, with other ropes round her; and after that she was being lowered to the ground, perfectly helpless. It was a unique and wonderful piece of work, requiring unstinted skill and pluck, 'both of which were forthcoming.

How Lion Spsarlng Films are Got. - During a subsidiary expedition, undertaken with the idea of obtaining kinematograph films of lion spaarinc by tho Somali and.Masai native;; attached to tho safari, Sir. Kearton had a bad attack of malaria, and the narrative is reproduced from his wife's diary, "as sho wrote it, day to day, 011 the spot." Mr. Kearton's pluck is testified, to by the fact that. 011 one occasion, when tlio fever liad still a bad hold on him. Mrs. Kearton writes: "They, (the native bearera) carried him on his bed ss close to! the lion as was safe, and he then tried to get a. photograph; but after a little while, he collapsed, and had to bo carried on his bed to tho next camp, when I .found his temperature to be 104 F. This evening it is down a little, but he is terribly weak." Here is another extract, from tho wife's diary, five days later: — Cherry still improving, though very, very weak. Another lion was speared by the'-Masai, aiid my husband had to be. carried-in his chair to the scene of- action. This lion was horribly fierce, aiid gave a great- deal of trouble.. It bit one of tho moil's spears near by in two. . • • The .lion bit three of the shields mlit' .thiw.h, and clawed several others. One or two Masai "ot'scratched, but no other' tlania{ro"Vas done. The lion made straight for Cherry once, stopping lil'teen: vards away, then suddenly altered 'its mind—-I suppose because mv husband stood bis ground. 1'"in'' very weak. Cherry was not able to"riin "in for hi< picture as well as he woiilfl have liked, so we are goi'i" lo havo another try, despite tlie fact that lie has some good photographs.

The Spearing of a Maned Lion. liv May. 21, a few (lavs later. Mr. Kca'rton had recovered, ami himself resuming the narrative, uives a stirring description of how he siicceedcd 111 getting olio of the finest .films ot the photographs of the spearing, by tho Ma«ai, of a gigantic mailed. lion, one of the larccst and finest specimens of tho King of Boasts that tho party ever saw. Intent upou his camera manipulation, the dauntless photographer .had. a very narroiv escape, for, losing sight - of the animal for a minute or tiro, he was unaware

the lion had made his way round through the bush, and was actually preparing to spring. "And I was making mv way nearer to him all the time," says Mr. Kearton. A European member of the party, on horseback, then gave warning. -What followed shall bo told in Mr. Kearton's own words: — I need hardly say that I withdrew hurriedly, then placed my camera in position, so as to cover the bush, and waved my hand to Cole, who, in turn, gave the word to tho Masai.' Immediately the spearmen.advanced,, spears poised in the right hand, shields held in the left. . The three leading men hurled their weapons; into'the scrub, and at once;- in answer to, tho- challenge, the huge beast bonnded out. Two of tho spoars had struck him. At first, 110 made straight for the camera ; then something seemed to tell him that I was not the real enemy, and I 10; wheeled round to charge 1 . the Masai. Like a flash, every man was crouching on the ground, his shield in front of him. It was-a-, truly magnificent sight., The . lion ■ charged from end to end of this wall of shields, scratching at them with his huge paws, in one or two instances biting clean through them. Yet not n man moved. Mad to think that 110 could-not reach his .fees, the. lion' stood roaring even niore hideously than .before. Then came the chance ,of the Masai. -Ilisiug, suddenly to their feet, thev flung their spears, everyone of which got home. " The lion was wounded to death, but he was not going to give iii whilst ho had lifo . left in him. Ho faced the Masai, still unconquered in spirit, and when 0110 of them dashed up, knife in hand, 'to give him the coup-de-grace, he caught tho' we.mon be- ■ tween his teeth, wrenching it out of tho man's hand. But, really, he was done. It was his last effort. Another growl, which ernled in a rattle, and he h.3d rolled over 011 bis.side, dead. Familiarity proverbially breeds ■ contempt, and apparently, to the average Masai., the sight cf a lion—at a reasonable distance, bien entendu —is not' always disturbing. On one occasion, whilst following up the spoor of seven lions, tho photographers came across a Masai herdsman in charge of some two or three hundred head of cattle. Says Mr, Kearton: — Ho was leaning on his spear, and ho hardly deigned to notice as we camo up. In answer to our questions about, the lions—wo; l(neiv, that .they must have passed near.''him—lie merely, pointed,'over his - shoulder, whilst, continuing -to lean; on.'his spear, and ans.vored: "Yes.. 1 saw , . seven of- them go that way just now.," reminding me of ail English, farm .labourer -casually telling the huntsmen that the fox had gono through the field in which he was working; He was, neither interested ilor alarmed. Tho Hippo. The hippopotamus, or the hippo., to use a convenient .abbreviation current throughout >Eait...AVfiic'a,.Reserves first place, Mr. Kearton thinks, on the list of 1 ugly animals. "Even under , the most' favourable, conditions, ho is a hideous, pinkish-bluc coloured monstrostity.; but when lie opens liis great jaws so that they form a right angle, and exposes liis. vast red cavern of a mouth, lie becomes a veritable nightmare." natives specially abhor him for his habit of upsetting boats and drowning tho passengers, and for tlio harm he does to their crops. In a single night lie can eat or trample down enough to keep a family half a year. The skin is valuable "for making the sjambocks with which "dear brother Boor" keeps his Kaffir labourers in order, but to the travellinc'sportsman it is the hippo's fat .which iG specially valued. Under tlio hide is a layer of fat of an'average thickness, of two and a- half inches —"in a country where 110 other sort of game carries fat, it comes as a God-send to the hunt or." Mr. Kearton is quite cnthusiastic'ovcr hippo, fat. "It is excellent," he says, "for frying purposes, and it makes the best pastry in the world. Hippo-fat shortbread would be hard to beat." The only part of the hippo that j the wliito man eats is the foot. "You boil it steadily for twelve .hours—it looks like a lump of sinew at the outsetthen let it set into a jelly. It is impossible to describe the delicacy of its flavour." The natives use the fat for greasing their bodies. The correct way amongst certain' tribes is to cut a cube of fat about an inch each way, stick a, red feather into it, and skewc-r it 011 to your wool. Then, as you walk about in the sun, the grease trickles slowly down you. Ido not object to the practice.when tho native is not in my service; but when 110 puts a lump of. fat 011 his head, and then proceeds to carry my bundle of new blankets on the top of the fat, - I am apt to get annoyed and say things. People who have seen Mr. Kearton's hippo films at a picture theatro have little idea of the patience necessary to the adventurous camera mail who gotthem. Oh one occasion the traveller spclit nine days in a hiding-placo : 011 tho bank of a.river.. Not a sign of a hippo, yet the place was . known to swarm with them. Then, 011 the tenth day, came a change in the wind, and he'had. 110. difficulty in getting all tho .pictures he wanted. The animals' sense of smell had warned them of prob.ible danger. A Snake Story. Monkeys, have .this in common with men, whatever else.', they'may have, or havo had in the dim .'and. distant past, that they loathe snakes. On'one occasion 51r! Kearton had an unpleasantly narrow escape from death —from the bite of a puff adder. He was lying under a tree, playing ivitli'a little monkey, of which he had made a pet, when his companion, Clark',, strolled up,, and without a word of warning fii'ed off his gun: ' Tho monkey and I sprang into the air together, and it would be bard to say which was the more surprised.' As tho smoke cleared away, I saw that Clark whs poiutius at something thick and brown, which was squirming and twisting i>n the. ground above, a couple of feet frum where 1 had. been silting. ... 1 wi'Mt cold all over. I( w-js a puff adder, one of the most venomous of all Africa's most detestable reptiles. Clark, standing ' :ibov« me on the bank, had just caught sight of it moving slUggisliIv towards me. The monkey saw 'the squirming horror at tho same moment 1 did. An instant later be was out of my arms and up a tree, alternately swearing and screaming with fright. Even a inan's hatred of a snake is a mere nothing to t.ha.t which a monkey, feels. Ido not understand the monkey-tongue, but I am perfectly certain that what that, monkey was saving would never pass the proof-reader, were. I able to set it down. Probably even the compositors would be. scandalised. ...

Mr. Kcarlon says it is a common belief in liast Africa thai "when the puff-adder is lying straight, out with his tail towards von, lie is able to throw himself backwards at you, and strike you whilst. 110 is in mi.l-air; whereas if his head is toivards you he is far leas dangerous." Tlio illustrations. Hut I must bring to a close my IlOt\co of .Mr. Kearton's fascinating volume, which includes accounts of hunting and photographing expeditions in liorneo, India, Canada, anii the Y'ellovvstone Park, as well as in Africa. The illustrations include some two bundled full-pago plates, most of them being of an exceptionally novel and interesting character. Tiiey are nearly all life studios, and show lions, rhino, hippo, leopards, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, monkeys, snakes, and various other ..kinds of animals, to say nothing of many kinds of birds, as they live in their natural habitat. There is no suspicion of "faking." Mr. Kearton is quite abovo anything of tlio kind. As to this, Mr. Roosevelt, who met and saw him at work in East Africa, thus bears testimony"One of the prime qualities of Mr. Kearton's work is its absolute trustworthiness. Any photograph presented by him as of .1 wild animal can at once be put do'-vn as having been taken under precisely the circumstances 110 describes. His work, therefore, is of first-rato scientific importance. It should appeal to every hunter and lover of outdoor'life, and it should bo studied 1 by every naturalist who. takes an intelligent interest iu bionomics." The work is one which should find a. place in every good public library, - and in, homes whero thero are young, people it should provido a neverfailing source of interest and pleasure.