462 



RECORDS OF BIG GAME 



LION (Felis leo). 



Ambassa of the Abyssinians. 

 A seed of the Arabs. 

 Imbubi of the Swazis and Zulus. 

 Lendjandnek of the Gallas. 

 Libbah of the Somalis. 

 Libbaka of the Abyssinians (Dan- 

 akil). 



Mkango or Nkalamo in the Chilala 



and Chibisa countries. 

 Simba of the Swahilis. 

 Tau of the Basutos. 

 Tauw in Barotsiland. 

 Tauw in Ngamiland. 

 Zaki of the Hausas. 



Any description of such a familiar animal as the lion (the only cat 

 in which the male is furnished with a mane on the head and shoulders, 

 and a tuft of long hair to the tip of the tail) would obviously be 

 superfluous here. One of the great points of interest attaching to the 

 species is its wide geographical distribution. Several local races are 

 now recognised. Somali lions, for instance, are smaller and greyer 

 than those from either the Cape or Algeria, although their manes are 

 often very fine. Heights of 3 feet 4^ and 3 feet 8 inches at the 

 shoulder have been recorded in African specimens (the larger measure- 

 ment by F. C. Selous), and 3 feet 6 inches in an Indian example (by 

 Gen. W. Rice). General Paget estimated the weight of a Somali lion 

 at about 550 Ibs. Wild lions never develop the enormous manes 

 frequently seen in menagerie examples. 



A lion skull may be easily recognised when placed beside that of 

 a tiger by observing that in the lion all the terminations of the sutures 

 of the skull on the frontal are almost level ; in a tiger the nasal bones 

 extend much further back besides this a lion skull will stand much 

 flatter on a table than that of a tiger. 



Distribution. In modern times Africa from Algeria to the Cape, 

 Mesopotamia on the west flanks of the Zagros range, Persia south 

 of Shiraz, and India in the districts of Kathiawar, Sind, the Central 

 Provinces, and Bundelcund. Now very rare in India, where it 

 appears to be confined to Kathiawar. 



