THE LTON. I 1 1 



forward, though greatly alarmed, and grasping in her 

 trunk the top of a young tree, bent it down across 

 the loins of the lion, and thus forced the tortured 

 animal to quit his hold ! My friend's life was thus 

 preserved, hut his arm was broken in two places, and 

 he was severely clawed on the breast and shoulders." 



We have now to examine the lion in a state of 

 confinement, or, we might almost say, of domestica- 

 tion, for most of those which have been exhibited, 

 or which are now to be seen in Europe, have either 

 been taken young, or have been bred in this coun- 

 try, and have not acquired those propensities which 

 example and necessity render so very marked in 

 their native wilds. We have noticed in the intro- 

 ductory chapter, the early period at which menage- 

 ries were established, first from superstition and 

 pride, and as attendants of power and royalty ; more 

 lately for the purposes of emolument and science ; 

 almost none of these were reckoned complete with- 

 out their lion, and this animal alone, in his district 

 excursions, is sufficient to draw a crowd and re- 

 venue to his keepers It is from repeated observa- 

 tion upon these, that a knowledge of them in this si- 

 tuation has been gained ; but we can only refer with 

 confidence to such as have been exhibited within a 

 comparatively late period. 



The lion, when taken young, is easily tamed, 

 principally by mild and persuasive usage, and appears 

 to possess more equality of temper than any of the 

 other cats, with which an acquaintance of intimacy 



