THE CARACAL. 



167 



of the feast which remains after the monarch of the woods has eaten as much as he can possibly 

 contain. In truth, the lion seems oftentimes to carry out the ludicrously arrogant pretension 

 of certain human rulers, and to proclaim, "I, the King of the Forest, have dined. Let the 

 monarchs of earth take their dinner ! " As is usual among quadrupedal and bipedal royalties, 

 the lion-king has but little chance of making a second repast of any prey which his lordly paw 

 may have immolated, for a band of hungry courtiers assemble round the victim, and after the 

 royal appetite has been satiated, leave nothing but a few dry bones to tell of the animal that 

 ranged freely through the forest but an hour or two ago. 



No blame attaches to the black-eared Caracal for this dependent line of conduct, for, as 

 has already been mentioned, the lion himself disdains not to avail himself of a ready killed 



THE CARACAL. Caracal melanotu. 



prey, and to gorge himself thereon with as much satisfaction as if his own paw had dealt the 

 lethal blow. 



It is said that the Caracal will sometimes call in the aid of its fellows, and with their 

 assistance will secure even a large animal. Some authors assert that they will unite, like 

 hounds, in the chase of their prey, and will hunt it as regularly as a pack of wolves or wild 

 dogs. But the general opinion seems to be that the Caracal, even when assisted by its com- 

 panions, gives no open chase, but achieves its end by a few powerful bounds, a stroke with 

 the paw, and a fierce grip with the fangs on the throat of its victim. Some authors assert that 

 the Caracal is often tamed, and rendered useful in hunting ; being trained to creep upon its 

 prey and to spring from its place of concealment upon its unsuspecting quarry. When the 

 trained Caracal seizes its prey it crouches to the earth, and lies motionless until its owner 

 comes up and removes the slaughtered victim. 



The strength of this animal is very great in comparison with its size. A captive Caracal 

 has been known to leap upon a large dog and to tear it in pieces, although the dog defended 

 itself to the best of its ability. 



The Caracal is spread over a very wide range of country, being known to inhabit large 



