CHAPTER III 



THE LION KING OF BEASTS 



Almost since time immemorial the lion has been called 

 the " King of beasts." Most writers of natural history 

 still bestow this high title upon the big feline, largely on 

 account of its generally majestic appearance, courage, and 

 fierceness of its character. Yet a good many prominent 

 African hunters do not share this opinion, and have from 

 experience learned that the lion is not so " noble " and 

 " fearless," except when wounded or cornered, as it is 

 cowardly and mean. From my own limited experience in 

 lion hunting, I side with the latter, and think that for many 

 reasons the elephant is much more worthy of the exalted 

 title. 



The lion is the only representative of the large cat fam- 

 ily which grows a mane, covering often not only head, 

 neck, and shoulders, but sometimes also fully half of the 

 back and chest. The mane of the African lion differs a 

 great deal in size and color. Contrary to the general opin- 

 ion, the lion of the Old World also carries a mane, al- 

 though perhaps not of the average size of that of the 

 African lion. Another and rather queer characteristic 

 of the big feline is a large, strange-looking tuft of hair at 

 the end of its tail, which very often at the extreme point 

 carries a small horny appendage, surrounded by a brush of 



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