60 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



Rats, and even devouring grass to stay their hunger, so that the end 

 of the King of Beasts, if it comes naturally, must be a sad one. 



In captivity the Lion thrives well, and breeds freely; in fact, if 

 the beast were sufficiently in demand, it would have been domesticated 

 by this time, and as it is, many of the finest specimens shown in 

 menageries have been tame-bred. Such an one was Hannibal II. of 

 the Clifton Zoological Gardens, a magnificent black-maned animal, and 

 certainly the finest Lion I ever saw. Captive Lions in Europe, at 

 any rate, grow finer manes than wild ones, and also assume a fringe 

 of long hair along the under-parts, whereas the wild animal has only 

 a bunch behind the arm-pit. 



Many accounts show that the Lion in captivity is susceptible of 

 much attachment, and has a better disposition than most of the Cats, 

 though of course it is unwise to rely too much on such an animal ; and 

 the sad fate which overtakes so many of the "tamers" is notorious, 

 though the nature of their exhibitions is certainly such as to afford 

 some excuse for the unfortunate animals compelled to take part in 

 them. 



