1S05.] 



GUaftir.gs in Natural H^Jiory. 



$'33 



alarmed at the crowing of a coc k. He 

 is, however, laid to be irighttne.l at the 

 appearance of ferpents near him. Some 

 o;' the Moors, induced by this notion, 

 when they are puifued by a lion, are laid 

 occafionaliy to loole their turban entirely 

 out, and wave about the twitted linen i'o 

 as to make it appear like a ferpent. The 

 Siieur Frejiis, in his Travels in Maurita- 

 nia, informs us that this will al-"a)s have 

 the deiired tffeCl: of driving the animals 

 away. 



The natural difpofition of the lion is 

 univerl'ally allowed to have more of rnng- 

 nnnisTiity, and contempt for inferior ene- 

 mies, than that oF moft other lirge and 

 predatory animals. This ha-, induced 

 many ptrlons to relate woiideiful, and, in 

 fome inliances, altogether incredible fto- 

 ries reipefting this royal bealf. A Jaco- 

 bin monk of VerfailleJ, fays the Pere La- 

 bat, being in flavery at Mequinez, re- 

 folved, with a compani-jn, to .Tttempt hii 

 efcape. Thty got out of their prifon, 

 and travelled during the night only, to a 

 c^inHderabledilfance, refting in the woods 

 by day, and hiding theirilclves am .ngit 

 the bnfnes. At the end of the Iccond 

 right t'r'ev came to a pond. This was the 

 firlt water they had (eeii fince their efcape, 

 and of couife they approached it with 

 great esgeriiefs ; but when they were at a 

 little diftance from the bank, they obferved 

 a lion. After fome confultation, they 

 agreed to go up to the animal, an;l fuhmil- 

 fively to implore his pity: accordingly 

 they kneeled before the beaff, and in a 

 mournful tone related their misfortunes 

 and millries. The lion, as they told the 

 ftory, feemcd affected at the relation, and 

 withdrew to f>me diftance from the" water. 

 This gave thebolielt of the men an op- 

 p rtunity of going down to the pond, and 

 filling his vtfi'el.-, whillt the other conti- 

 nued his lamcntibie oration. They after- 

 wards both pafled on ihrir way before the 

 lion, which made no attempt whatever ei- 

 ther to injure nr moleft them. The ftory, 

 as thus rrlattd by t>.vo fuptl'ftiti^us old 

 monks, is too ridicu'ous to obtain any 

 credit as to the motives which induced the 

 animal to fuch a mode of conduft. It, 

 however, may be confuieied to relt on a 

 better foundation, w/hen it is obferved 

 that the lion might have had his appetite 

 fully faiibfied previoufly to their appear- 

 ance, and at that moment have been too 

 indolent to attempt to injure them. His 

 retiring at the relation of their ftory, was, 

 no doubt, to fuit his own coiivi.ni«ncc 

 MoN ruLY Mag, Ny, ij-j-. 



only, thtis interrupted as he was by the 

 waridereis. 



The Mo(irs ufe the fKin of the lion as 

 quilts for their beds. I: is fii i to have 

 the rem»rkdbie property of keeping rats 

 or mice out of any room wheie it is depo- 

 fited, for a confiderahle length ot time Bi- 

 ter it is taken from the a-;imal. 



THE TIGER. 



In 1693, when M. Ho!man was on the 

 co?.il t,f Guinea, fcveral niee;.> kept atqne 

 of the foits haCi been dcftr..yed by a tiger, 

 which at length bscume (b bold tli:-j- he 

 once made his appeaiance abr-ut thiee 

 o'clock in the aftem-on. BoUnan Per- 

 ceived his approach, atvi, accoinpanie^l by 

 a gunner, two Enghlimicn, ar.tl two ne- 

 groes, all armed with mufkets, iie pur.'u- 

 rd and overtook the animal, but no; be- 

 fore lie got into a imall tnicket of uiider- 

 \v() d, whicli ihey befct. The gunner tn- 

 tcicd the thicket, but i;i a few minutes 

 came running out, almolf frightened to 

 death, and leavirig behind him his hat and 

 flippers. The tiger hid bitten him, but, 

 luckily for the poor fellow, the breaking 

 down of feme of the branches fo much. 

 alarmed the animal as to make him re'itac 

 again. One of tliC Engliilimen on thisre- 

 folved to enter the wood with his mulkct, 

 and, if pofTible, to diflodge the animal. 

 The tiger fiffr red him to approach tolera- 

 bly near, then fp'-ang upf n him with ex- 

 treme fury, and would lion have torn hiin 

 to pieces, had net his cries brought Eof. 

 man and the negroes to his aiTiltancc, vvho 

 ccmpelled the ferocious animal to quit his 

 prey. The man, however, was fo wound- 

 ed, as to remain altogether fenfelels tor 

 lome hours afterward,-, ard in confequence 

 the men retired and gave up the combat. 



This I'atne tiger was not, h(;wever, de- 

 terred fiom coming again in the courie of 

 a few days, and kiUngf'.me more Oieep, 

 which induced Bofman to attempt another 

 modeof deftroying him. He made a foit 

 of trap of ftrong pales, twelve feet lono, 

 and fuur broad, and fattened it to the 

 ground, by placing on the top Ujiw^irds cf 

 a thoufand weight of ftones. It ha.l a 

 double plank lioor, and in a fmall place 

 in one corner were put t^ivo fn-.ali hoj;s, 

 fo fccuied that the tiger could i;ot prflibly 

 get at them. Tlie dcor was fci open, 

 like that of a rat-trap. The ftiatajjcm 

 fucceededfowell, that three days ai ci wards 

 the animal was caught. He did not, a» 

 it was expected, roar out on finding hiirt- 

 felf enfnared, bvit inmiediately let towoik 

 yviih his leuh in order 10 tat through the 

 C g buaidsj 



