UGANDA AND THE WAGANDA. 165 long, and his menagerie never seems to increase. He had a young elephant when I first went to Uganda, but it did not live many months. He had also a tame tiger-cat for two years, which used to roam ahout the palace at pleasure.

The Waganda are great hunters, and have a regular system of catching the smaller antelopes.

Elephant-hunting is a regular occupation with many of them, and they display great coolness and courage in boldly attacking this animal with their spears. For this purpose they always go in parties, three or four of them attacking an elephant simultaneously, dividing the creature's attention, and thus lessening the risk, but spite of all precautions many fall victims in this perilous pursuit. The elephant is also caught in pitfalls, which are dug near the ponds which it frequents, or in its accustomed haunts ; they are about seven feet deep, and taper to a point at the bottom, so that the unfortunate animal which steps on one of these artfully concealed traps gets its feet jammed in the narrow hole, and is completely at the mercy of the hunters, who quickly despatch it with their spears.

Buffaloes are caught by a wreath composed of the branches of a thorny bush, so contrived that the thorns all point inwards ; this is secured by a rope to a heavy log of wood, and placed in spots which the buffaloes frequent. When the animal steps on the ring its foot goes through it, and the thorns A