THE FELINE. 61 



exhibition of all kinds of animals was in the public 

 amphitheatral shows, an amusement which became a 

 complete passion with the Romans. Immense sums 

 were lavished in their arrangement; * ^en the armies, 

 when stationary for a short period, must have their 

 circus ; and traces of these erections are to be found 

 in the most distant parts of the Roman empire. 

 Training men to these sports became a profession, 

 and persons of rank were emulous to engage in them, 

 because they were thought to keep up the martial 

 spirit of the nation. 



The number of fierce animals collected at these 

 shows was immense, and the slaughter no less so *. 

 Cornelius Scipio Nasica introduced sixty-three lions. 

 Scylla exhibited 100, which he received in a present 

 from Boschus, King of Mauritania, with some Mau- 

 ritanians to fight them. Pompey, at the opening of 

 his theatre, exhibited a variety of games and battles 

 with wild beasts, in which 500 lions were slain in 

 five days ; and in another exhibition, the tragedy 

 consisted in u the massacre of 100 lions, and an 

 equal number of lionesses, 200 leopards, and 300 

 bears." In the extravagant theatre built by Scau- 

 rus, 500 panthers were let loose in the arena. 



At a later period, during the zenith of the Mogul 

 Empire, the number of the animals and birds which 

 was kept around the sovereigns was almost incredi- 



* Eutropius (confirmed by some other historians) tells us 

 that 5000 wild beasts of all kinds were slaughtered at the 

 dedication of the arauhit^patre of Titus. 



