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ANIMALS OF 



nor is his shape clumsy, like that of the hip- 

 popotamus, or the ox. It is compact, well 

 proportioned, and sizeable ; a perfect model 

 of strength joined with agility. !t is muscular 

 and bold, neither charged with fat nor un- 

 necessary flesh. It is sufficient but to see him 

 in order to be assured of his superior force. 

 His large head surrounded with a dreadful 

 mane ; all those muscles that appear under 

 the skin swelling with the slightest exertions; 

 and the great breadth of his paws, with the 

 thickness of his limbs, plainly evince that no 

 other animal in the forest is capable of oppo- 

 sing him. He has a very broad face that, as 

 some have imagined, resembles the human. 

 It is surrounded with very long hair, which 

 gives it a very majestic air. The top of the 

 head, the temples, the cheeks, the under-jaw, 

 the neck, the breast, the shoulder, the hinder 

 part of the legs, and the belly, are furnished 

 with it, while all the rest of the body is cover- 

 ed with a very short hair, of a tawny colour. 

 " The length of the hair in many parts, and 

 the shortness of it in others, serves a good 

 deal to disguise this animal's real figure. The 

 breast, for instance, appears very broad, but 

 in reality it is as narrow and contracted in 

 proportion as that of the generality of dogs 

 and horses. For the same reason, the tail 

 seems to be of an equal thickness from one 

 end to the other, on account of the inequali- 

 ty of the hair with which it is encompassed ; 

 it being shorter near the insertion where the 

 flesh and bones are large, and growing longer 

 in proportion ae its real thickness lessens to- 

 wards the point, where it ends in a tuft. The 

 hair about the neck and the breast is not 

 different from that on the rest of the body, 

 except in the length of it; nor is each hair 

 pointed as in most other animals, but of an 

 equal thickness from one end to the other. 

 The neck is very strong, but not composed 

 of one solid bone, as Aristotle has imagined; 

 on the contrary, though very short and mus- 

 cular, it has as many bones as the camel or 

 the horse ; for it is universal to all quadrupeds 

 to have seven joints in the neck ; and not one 

 of them have either more or less. However, 

 the muscles in the neck of the lion, that tie 

 the bones together, are extremely strong, and 

 have somewhat the appearance of bones ; so 

 that ancient authors, who have treated of this 



animal, have mistaken the whole for a single 

 bone. The tongue is rough, and beset with 

 prickles as hard as the cat's claws; these 

 have the grain turned backwards ; so that it 

 is probable a lion, if it should attempt to lick 

 a man's hand, as we are told it sometimes does, 

 would tear off the skin. The eyes are always 

 bright and fiery ; nor even in death does this 

 terrible look forsake them. In short, the 

 structure of the paws, teeth, eyes, and tongue, 

 are the same as in a cat; and also in the in- 

 ward parts these two animals so nearly re- 

 semble each other, that the anatomist's chief 

 distinction arises merely from the size." 



The lion has, as was observed before, a 

 large mane, which grows every year longer as 

 the animal grows older: the lioness is with- 

 out this ornament at every age. This mane 

 is not coarse or rough as in a horse, but com- 

 posed of the same hair with the rest of the 

 body, lengthened and shining. The mane, as 

 well as the rest of the body, is of a yellow co- 

 lour; nor is there ever any difference to be 

 found in the colour of one lion from that of 

 another. What the ancients might have said 

 concerning black lions, or white, or streaked 

 like the tiger, is not confirmed by modern ex- 

 perience ; so that these varieties have never 

 been seen, or exist no longer. 



It is usually supposed that the lion is not 

 possessed of the sense of smelling in such per- 

 fection as most other animals. It is also ob- 

 served, that too strong a light greatly incom- 

 modes him. This is more than probable from 

 the formation of his eyes, which, like those of 

 the cat, seem fitted for seeing best in the dark. 

 For this reason, he seldom appears in open 

 day, but ravages chiefly by night; and not 

 only the lion, but all other animals of the cat 

 kind, are kept off by the fires which the inha- 

 bitants light to preservetheir herdsand flocks; 

 the brightness of the flame dazzles their eyes, 

 which are only fitted for seeing in the dark ; 

 and they are afraid to venture blindly into 

 those places which they know to be filled 

 with their enemies. " It is equally true of all 

 this kind, that they hunt rather by the sight 

 thanthesmell; and it sometimes happens that 

 the lion pursues either the jackall or the wild 

 dog, while they are hunting upon the scent; 

 and, when they have run the beast down, 

 he comes in and monopolizes the spoil. From 



