THE CAT KIND. 



29. 1 ) 



hence, probably, may have arisen the story of 

 the lion's provider: these little industrious ani- 

 mals may often, it is true, provide a feast for 

 the lion; but they have hunted merely for 

 themselves, and he is an unwelcome intruder 

 upon the fruits of their toil." 



The lion, when hungry, boldly attacks all 

 animals that come in his way ; but, as he is 

 very formidable, and as they all seek to avoid 

 him, he is often obliged to hide, in order to 

 take them by surprise. For this purpose he 

 crouches on his belly, in some thicket, or 

 among the long grass, which is found in many 

 parts of the forest; in this retreat he continues, 

 with patient expectation, until his prey comes 

 within a proper distance, and he then springs 

 after it, fifteen or twenty feet from him, and 

 often seizes it at the first bound. If he misses 

 theeffbrt,and in twoor three reiterated springs 

 cannot seize his prey, he continues motionless 

 for a time, seems to be very sensible of his 

 disappointment, and waits for a more success- 

 ful opportunity. In the deserts and forests, 

 his most usual prey are the gazelles and the 

 monkeys, with which the torrid regions abound. 

 The latter he takes when they happen to be 

 upon the ground, for he cannot climb trees 

 like the cat or the tiger. He devours a great 

 deal at a time, and generally fills himself for 

 two or three days to come. His teeth are 

 so strong that he very easily breaks the bones, 

 and swallows them with the rest of the body. 

 It is reported that he sustains hunger a very 

 long time, but thirst he cannot support in an 

 equal degree,his temperament being extreme- 

 ly hot ; some have even asserted that he is in 

 a continual fever. He drinks as often as he 

 meets with water, lapping it like a cat ; which, 

 as we know, drinks but slowly. He general- 

 ly requires about fifteen pounds of raw flesh 

 in a day : he prefers that of live animals, and 

 particularly those which he has just killed. 

 He seldom devours the bodies of animals when 

 they begin to putrefy ; and he chooses rather 

 to hunt for a fresh spoil, than to return to that 

 which he had half devoured before. How- 

 ever, though he usually feeds upon fresh pro- 

 vision, his breath is very offensive, and his 

 uri-ie insupportable. 



The roaring of the lion is so loud, that 

 when it is heard in the night, and re-echoed 

 by the mountains, it resembles distant thun- 



der. This roar is his natural note ; for when 

 enraged he has a different growl, which is 

 short, broken, and reiterated. The roar is a 

 deep hollow growl, which he sends forth five 

 or six times a day, particularly before rains. 

 The cry of anger is much louder and more 

 formidable. This is always excited by op- 

 position ; and upon these occasions, w hen the 

 lion summons up all his terrors for the combat, 

 nothing can be more terrible. He then lashes 

 his sides with his long tail, which alone is 

 strong enough to lay a man level. He moves 

 his mane in every direction ; it seems to rise 

 and stand like bristles round his head ; the 

 skin and muscles of his face are all in agita- 

 tion ; his huge eye-brows half cover his gla- 

 ring eye-balls ; he discovers his teeth, which 

 are formed rather for destruction than chew- 

 ing his food ; he shows his tongue covered 

 with points, and extends his claws, which ap- 

 pear almost as long as a man's fingers. Pre- 

 pared in this mariner for war, there are few 

 animals that will venture to engage him; and 

 even the boldest of the human kind are daunt- 

 ed at his approach. The elephant, the rhi- 

 noceros, the tiger, and the hippopotamus, are 

 the only animals that are not afraid singly to 

 make opposition. 



" Nevertheless, neither the leopard nor the 

 wild boar, if provoked, will shun the combat : 

 they do not seek the lion to attack, but will 

 not fly at his approach ; they wait his onset, 

 which he seldom makes unless compelled by 

 hunger; they then exert all their strength, 

 and are sometimes successful. We are told 

 of the combat of a lion and a wild boar, in a 

 meadow near Algiers, which continued for a 

 long time with incredible obstinacy. At last, 

 both were seen to fall by the wounds they 

 had given each other; and the ground all 

 about them was covered with their blood. 

 These instances, however, are very rare, for 

 the lion is in general the undisputed master 

 of the forest. Man is the only creature that 

 attacks him with almost certain success : with 

 the assistance of dogs and horses, which are 

 trained to the pursuit. These animals that, 

 in a state of nature, would have fled from the 

 presence of the lion, in an agony of conster- 

 nation, when conscious of the assistance of 

 man, become pursuers in their turn, and bold- 

 ly hunt their natural tyrant. The dogs are 



