8 4 SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY. 



dreadful mane, all those muscles that appear under the skin swell- 

 ing with the slightest exertions, and the great breadth of his paws, 

 with the thickness of his limbs, plainly evince that no other animal 

 in the forest is capable of opposing him. His face is very broad, 

 and is surrounded with very long hair, which gives it a most ma- 

 jestic aspect. His huge eyebrows ; his round and fiery eye-balls, 

 which, upon the least irritation, seem to glow with peculiar lustre ; 

 together with the formidable appearance of his teeth, exhibit a pic- 

 ture of terrific grandeur which it is impossible to describe. The 

 length of a large lion is between eight and nine feet ; and its height 

 about four feet and a half. The top of the head, the temples, the 

 cheeks, the under jaw, the neck, the breast, the shoulder, the hind- 

 er part of the legs, and the belly are furnished with long hair, whilst 

 all the rest of the body is covered with very short hair, of a tawny 

 color. The inane grows every year longer as the animal grows old- 

 re ; but the lioness is without this appendage at eveiy age. It is 

 usually supposed that the lion is not possessed of the sense of smell- 

 ing in such perfection as most other animals ; and it is also observed, 

 that too strong a light greatly incommodes him : his eyes, like those 

 of the cat, being fitted for seeing best in the dark. For this reason, 

 he seldom appears in open day, but ravages chiefly by night. See 

 Psalm civ. 20, 22. 



Accustomed to measure his strength with every animal he meets, 

 the act of conquering renders the lion intrepid and terrible. In 

 those regions where he has not experienced the dangerous arts and 

 combinations of man, he has no apprehensions from his power. 

 He boldly faces him, and seems to brave the force of bis arms. 

 Wounds rather serve to provoke his rage than to repress his ardor, 

 nor is he daunted by the opposition of numbers ; a single lion of 

 the desert often attacks an entire caravan, and, after an obstinate 

 combat, when he finds himself overpowered, instead of flying he 

 continues to combat, retreating, and still facing the enemy till he 

 dies. To this trait in his character Job alludes, when he hastily 

 said to the Almighty, ' Thou huntest me as a fierce lion,' ch. x. 16. 

 We hence see, also, the propriety with which Hushai describes the 

 valiant among the troops of Absalom, as possessing the * heart of a 

 lion,' 2 Sam. xvii. 10. 



When incited by hunger, the lion boldly attacks all animals that 

 come in his way ; but as he is so formidable an enemy, and as they 

 all seek to avoid him, he is often obliged to hide, in order to take 

 them by surprise. For this purpose he crouches on his belly, in some 

 thicket, or among the long grass, which is found in many parts of the 

 forest ; and in this retreat be continues, with patient expectation, until 

 his prey comes within a proper distance, when he springs after it, 

 fifteen or twenty feet from him, and often seizes it at the first bound. 

 To this feature in his character, there are many beautiful allusions 

 in the scriptures. ' Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, or fill th 

 appetite of the young lions, when they couch in their dens, and 

 abide in the covert to lie in wait?' Job xxxviii. 39,40. David 



