154 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



they never set the heel to the ground, their footsteps 

 are noiseless, unless they choose them to be otherwise. 

 It is with their formidable claws, and still more formid- 

 able teeth, that they tear their prey to pieces. 



None of the feline tribe will eat vegetables unless 

 domesticated, and even then but rarely; and in their 

 wild state, unless pressed by hunger, they will only eat 

 what they themselves have killed. They have an ab- 

 horrence of anything which is decomposed. The fur, 

 with the exception of the lion's mane, and that of the 

 cat, is short, close, and soft, capable when dressed of 

 receiving a high polish. Many are striped and spotted 

 with black, and the larger kinds are generally of a 

 warm, fulvous colour. The domestic cat is, however, 

 often white, black, grey, and brindled ; some leopards 

 are black; and there is a small, beautiful wild cat marked 

 like the panther. All are very wary and cunning, and 

 seldom face their foes. They lie in ambush for them, 

 and suddenly spring upon them, seeming to take a 

 pleasure in prolonging their torments. They are very 

 sensible to caresses and affection, but a blow or angry 

 word rouses them to fury. They are certainly capri- 

 cious, and sometimes, without - any apparent cause, 

 burst into fits of ill-temper ; therefore are by no means 

 to be trusted, even in the midst of love and docility. 



The backward carriage of his head, his majestic stride, 

 and the deliberate manner in which he looks at his 

 enemy, have caused the Lion to be called the king of 

 beasts. He is only occasionally seen in the forests, and 

 inhabits plains, where rocks or low jungle afford him a 

 shelter. He, however, retreats before the advance of 

 men, and has now deserted many of those regions where 

 he was once undisputed lord of the country. The Lion 



