Photo by Fratelli ^linari] 



\_Flortnci 



AFRICAN LION 



This lion ii aimvst 1/1 the attitude of those sculptured by Sir Edivin Landseer for the Nelson Alonument, but tht Jeei are turned in, not tyng Jiat 



CHAPTER II 



THE CAT TRIBE 



THOUGH only one species is entirely domesticated, and none of the Cats have flesh edible 

 by man, except perhaps the puma, no group of animals has attracted more interest than 

 this. Containing more than forty species, ranging in size from the 1 ox-devouring tiger or 



lion to the small wild cats, they are so alike in habit and struc- 

 ture that no one could possibly mistake the type or go far 

 wrong in guessing at the habits of any one of them. They are 

 all flesh-eaters and destroyers of living animals. All have 

 rounded heads, and an extraordinary equipment of teeth and of 

 claws, and of muscles to use them. The blow of the forearm 

 of a lion or tiger is inconceivably powerful, in proportion to its 

 size. A stroke from a tiger's paw has been known to strike 

 off" a native's arm from the shoulder and leave it hanging by a 

 piece of skin, and a similar blow from a lion to crush the 

 skull of an ox. The true cats are known by the power to 

 draw back, or " retract," their claws into sheaths of horn, 

 rendering their footsteps noiseless, and keeping these weapons 

 always sharp. The hunting-leopard has only a partial capacity 

 for doing this. 



The characteristics of the Cats and their allies are too well 

 known to need description. We will therefore only mention 

 the chief types of the group, and proceed to give, in the fullest 

 detail which space allows, authentic anecdotes of their life and 

 habits. The tribe includes Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Pumas, 

 Jaguars, a large number of so-called Tiger-cats (spotted and 

 striped), Wild Cats, Domestic Cats, and Lynxes. The 

 Hunting-leopard, or Cheeta, stands in a sub-group by itself, 

 as does the Fossa, the only large carnivore of Madagascar. 



By ftrmliltcn / Htrr l.arl Hagenbcct, Hamburg 



AN UNWILLING PUPIL 



This is one of Herr Hagen bee 1C s famous perform- 

 ing tigers 



33 



