

104 THE LION. 



him to lick his hands, a familiarity against which he was often 

 cautioned by an intelligent friend. Regardless, however, of this 

 warning, arid confiding in the attachment of his favourite, he 

 continued the practice, until one time the, prickly tongue of the 

 lion fetched blood from his hand, upon which the. animal, forget- 

 ting his former affection, instantly flew upon his master, and tore 

 him to pieces. 



The general colour of the lion is a tawny yellow ; his height 

 from four feet to four feet and a half, and his length eight or nine 

 feet ; but those we see exhibited in this country, are seldom so 

 large. The formation of the eye, in regard to the contraction 

 and dilatation of the pupil, is nearly the same in the lion as in the 

 cat : the former cannot, any more than the latter, bear a strong 

 light, and consequently he seldom appears abroad in the day, but 

 prowls about chiefly at night. As the sight of the lion, notwith- 

 standing the fierce sparkling of his eyes, is observed to be de- 

 fective, his smelling appears to be less acute ; and as all living 

 creatures avoid him, he is for the most part obliged to have re- 

 course to artifice to take his prey. Like the tiger, therefore, he 

 bounds upon it from some place of concealment, and on these 

 occasions easily makes springs of eighteen or twenty feet. Some- 

 times he makes two or three of these bounds: but if he miss his 

 object, he gives up the pursuit, returns to his place of ambush, 

 and lies in wait for another opportunity. The lion, as well as 

 the tiger, commonly chooses his lurking-place near a spring, or 

 on the brink of a river, where he may have an opportunity of 

 surprising such animals as come to quench their thirst. 



However, although the lion and the tiger have a similar method 

 of watching and seizing their prey, they differ considerably in 

 some of their other characteristics. The natural disposition of 

 the lion is universally allowed to have more of magnanimity, and 

 contempt for inferior enemies, than that of most other large and 

 predatory animals. This has induced many persons to relate 

 wonderful, and, in some instances, altogether incredible stories 

 respecting this royal beast. " A Jacobin monk of Versailles," 

 says the Pere Labat, " being in slavery at Mequinez, resolved, 

 with a companion, to attempt his escape. They got out of their 

 prison, and travelled during the night only, to a considerable dis- 

 tance, resting in the woods by day, and hiding themselves among 

 the bushes. At the end of the second night, they came to a 

 pond. This was the first water they had seen since their escape, 

 and of course they approached it with great eagerness ; but 

 when they were at a little distance from the bank, they observed 

 a lion. After some consultation, they agreed to go up to the 

 animal, and submissively to implore his pity ; accordingly they 

 kneeled before the beast, and in a mournful tone related their 



