26 Lloyd's natural history. 



prevail in a great part of the East Indian Archipelago, and 

 precautions are scarcely ever taken against a wild beast. In 

 Sumatra, according to Sir Stamford Raffles, when a Tiger enters 

 a village, the foolish people frequently prepare rice and fruits, 

 and placing them at the entrance, conceive that, by giving him 

 this hospitable reception, he will be pleased with their attention, 

 and pass on without doing them harm. 



Bringing the history of our knowledge of these wild animals 

 to a still later period, we find them in Britain at the courts 

 of our own kings. Henry the First, for instance, had, at his 

 manor at Woodstock, a royal menagerie, where he kept Lions 

 and Leopards, Lynxes, Porcupines, and other animals. From 

 Woodstock these animals were transferred to the Tower, and 

 formed the foundation of that establishment. "But in all 

 these immense collections," continues Jardine, " we have only 

 seen them as accessories of eastern magnificence, or delighting 

 a barbarous people by their still more barbarous contests. It 

 is true, certainly, that one of the greatest original works de- 

 rived a great part of its accuracy and value from the numbers 

 of animals which Alexander remitted during the progress of his 

 conquests, and the Natural History of Pliny was partly supplied 

 from the Roman shows ; but these are the only instances of 

 great men making use of the advantages which these collections 

 afforded." And it was not till a much later epoch that regular 

 .Zoological Gardens were established to promote the study of 

 animals in their living state. 



I. THE RETRACTILE-CLAWED CATS. GENUS FELLS. 

 Felis, Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i. p. 60 (1766). 



Characters — Claws of toes completely contractile within their 

 investing horny sheaths ; inner tubercle of the upper carnas- 

 sial tooth well developed. 



This genus includes the whole of the existing members of 



