litrttonavii at 



383 



are tried. If he is collected and master of 

 his craft, the well-directed rifle ends the scene 

 at once ; but if, in the flutter of the moment, 

 the vital parts are missed, or the ball passes 

 by, leaving the Lion unhurt, the infuriated 

 beast frequently charges on his enemies, 

 dealing destruction around him. This, how- 

 ever, is not always the case ; and a steady 

 unshrinking deportment has, in more in- 

 stances than one, saved the life of the 

 hunter." 



The distinctions which some naturalists 

 have pointed out as existing between the 

 African and Asiatic Lions have been alto- 

 gether denied by BufFon, with whom Cuvier 

 appears to coincide. On the other hand, 

 modern writers, who have lately paid great 

 attention to the subject, state that the 

 African Lion is larger, has a more regular 

 and graceful form, is generally of a darker 

 colour, and has a less extensive mane. The 

 African varieties are, 1. The Barbary Lion, 

 which is described as having a deep yellow- 

 ish brown fur and a full flowing mane : 2. 

 The Senegal Lion, the fur of which is of a 

 brighter yellow tint, and the mane thinner : 

 3. The Cape Lion, of which there are two 

 varieties, one brown, the other yellowish ; 

 the former being the most powerful and 

 ferocious. The Asiatic varieties are generally 

 distinguished as the Bemjal Lion ; the Per- 

 sian or Arabian Lion; and the Maneiess 

 Lion of Guzerat ; the last of which appears 

 to be limited to a comparatively small dis- 

 trict. There is also the Puma, or American 

 Lion; a description of which will be found 

 in its proper alphabetical position : but that 

 animal, it should be observed, is destitute of 

 several of the distinguishing characters of 

 the true Lion, and is not entitled to the ap- 

 pellation. 



We would willingly, if space permitted, 

 insert some of the stirring narratives which 

 recent travellers have given of Oriental 

 Lion hunts : our readers must, however, be 



content with a brief notice, which w 



copy 



from the excellent publication last quoted : 

 " The habits of the Asiatic Lions do not 

 differ much from those of Africa, excepting 

 that the former, from the state of the 



six or seven years old ; and the natural 

 period of a Lion's life is generally supposed 

 to be about twenty-two years ; but instances 

 are on record which show they have some- 

 times attained the " age of man." 



LION-LIZARD. The name applied by 

 Catesby in his Natural History of Carolina 

 to the Basilisk (Hasiliscus Americanus.) 



LITHODOMUS. A Molluscous animal 

 inhabiting a bivalve shell, oblong, almost 

 equally rounded at both ends, and the sum- 

 mits very near the anterior. They at first 

 suspend themselves to stones, like the com- 

 mon Mussels, but then they perforate them, 



STONE-BO K.ER. 

 (T.lTHOnOMUS I-IIHOFHAGUS ) 



and bury themselves in the excavations, 

 whence they cannot issue. Cuvier says, that 

 when young, the Lithodomus suspends itself 

 to rocks by a byssus, but, as it grows, it 

 pierces a hole, and introduces itself, forming 

 a cavity which thenceforward it never leaves : 

 indeed, after a short time, as it merely en- 

 larges the interior, without making the en- 

 trance any wider, its increasing bulk renders 

 it unable to quit its cell, and in such cases 

 the byssus dies away. 



LITHOPHAGIDJE. A family of the order 

 Conchifera Dimyaria, consisting of tere- 

 brating bivalves, gaping anteriorly, and 

 having no accessory valves. 



LITHOTRYA. A genus of Molluscous 

 animals, allied to the family of Pedunculated 

 Cirripedes, inhabiting an irregularly shaped 

 pyramidal shell, consisting of eight unequal 

 pieces ; having at the base an irregularly 

 cap-shaped appendage, like the inverted 

 shell of a Patella, and to which the lower 

 part of the peduncle is affixed. The genus 



country, frequent the jungles. In India the | derives its name from the power possessed 



elephant is generally employed in the chase 

 which is even now conducted with more 

 pomp and circumstance than in Africa. 

 The grand Asiatic huntings of former times, 

 those of Genghis Khan for instance, will 

 occur to many of our readers. The ac- 

 counts of most Asiatic modern sportsmen 

 ve a most courageous bearing to the Lions 

 those encounters. One of these states 



by the animal of making dwelling holes in 

 stones or pieces of rock. 



LITTORINA. A genus of Mollusca 

 found on the sea-shores in all parts of the 

 world, feeding upon sea-weed. They in- 

 habit a turbinated, thick shell, consisting of 

 few whorls ; spire acuminated ; columella 

 rather flattened ; opcrculum, horny, spiral, 

 with rapidly increasing volutions. The 

 common Periwinkle is a specimen of this 



fn 



that the Lions in India, instead of running 



away when pursued through a jungle, seldom 



take to cover as a refuge at all. On the 



approach of their enemies, they spring out I LIZARD. (Lacerta. ) A group of Reptiles, 



to meet them open-mouthed in the plain. | which not only differ from every other class 



They are thus easily shot ; but if they are j of animals, but they also vary widely from 



missed or only slightly wounded, they are . each other. With respect to size, the ranks of 



m ?f fr\ n '^ b ll^ r l a J ie ^.^ he y are v f n ! no class of beings are so opposite contrast the 



said to have sprung on the heads of the 

 largest elephants, and to have fairly pulled 

 them to the ground, riders and all." 



The mane and tuft on the tail of a Lion 

 are not fully developed till the animal is 



gigantic and ferocious Crocodile with the in- 

 offensive Chameleon ; or the monstrous Sau- 

 rian reptiles, whose fossil remains excite the 

 wonder of all beholders, with the harmless 

 little Lizard of our walls and copses I They 



