162 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



about half-grown, it can scarcely be considered as a native-born Kan- 

 san ; it must rather be looked upon as a mere straggler. It may have 

 come from the south. Ellis county is over a hundred miles directly 

 north of Comanche county, where animals were reported twenty years 

 ago. It may have come from the west — even as far west as the Rocky 

 Mountains. In either case, it would find an abundance of food on 

 the plains, as jack-rabbits and prairie-dogs could be found in plenty 

 almost anywhere. The animal was fat and had its stomach well filled 

 with jack-rabbit meat. 



The lion was sent to the writer in the flesh. This made it possible 

 for me to make a careful study, not only of its general contour, but 

 its anatomy as well. 



It weighed, soon after being killed, eighty-eight pounds, and eighty- 

 six a day later, when received at Lawrence by express. It was a young 

 male, apparently not much over a year old. 



I submit the following, which will not only show the measurements 

 taken of this lion, but will show how any large animal is measured 

 when it is desired to preserve a record of its size. Such a record is 

 not only of value to general natural history, but it is of especial value 

 to the person who expects to have an animal mounted, or to the per- 

 son who expects to mount it for museum purposes. Measurements 

 taken before the animal is skinned. 



LENGTHS. 



1. Total length, 78.50 inches. Measured from end of nose to end of tail bone 

 in a straight line, when animal is stretched straight at full length. 



2. Length of tail, 28.50 inches. Which naeans the length of the tail bone and 

 does not include length of hair on the tail. To take this measurement, bend the 

 tail up towards the back and hold it straight, at right angles to the body, and 

 measure from point where tail and body meet to end of tail bone. 



3. Length of body, 50 inches. This is the distance in a straight line from the 

 end of the nose to the root of the tail. 



4. Standing height, 22.50 inches. This measurement is taken by placing the 

 fore leg of the animal in natural position at right angles to the body, and in this 

 particular case with elbow two inches above the bottom of the body or binket. 

 Place the animal's foot at right angles to its legs, and measure from the bottom 

 of the foot in a straight line with a straight stick or rule to a point on the top of 

 the back between the shoulder-blades. This is not an easy measurement to 

 make; it should be taken with great care. The object of the measurement is to 

 get what would be the standing height of the animal when alive, as nearly as it 

 can possibly be determined from the dead body. 



5. Head of femur to head of humerus, ■ inches. This is the distance from 



the head of the femur ( upper end of upper long bone of the hind leg) to the bead 

 of the humerus (upper end of upper long bone of the arm). It is frequently 

 necessary to press the muscles of the animal with the fingers in order to locate 

 the heads of their bones in the joints. Before this measurement is taken the 

 operator should be sure that the shoulder is in natural position. When an 

 animal is dead and lying upon one side, the upper shoulder naturally slips down 



