ix THE LION 195 



presently one of our people from the summit of the ant-hill excitedly 

 pointed to an object in the high grass ; within a distance of about 

 ight yards I distinguished the back of the head and neck of the 

 lioness. She was looking in the opposite direction ; this gave me 

 a fatal opportunity, and a shot in the nape of the neck settled the 

 affair, after a well-contested struggle. 



It was impossible to carry this animal, we therefore skinned it, 

 and upon opening the stomach we found the sections of a fawn 

 antelope ; these when placed in position showed the entire animal, 

 which she must have eaten a few hours previously. This was so 

 fresh that my natives immediately made a fire and roasted the 

 meat, which they ate with great enjoyment as a feast of victory. 1 



I shall say no more concerning lions, but I shall always admire 

 the calm dignity of appearance, the massive strength, the quiet 

 determination of expression, and the noli me tangere decision, 

 that represent the character of the nation which has selected 

 this noble animal for its emblem. 



I do not venture upon the extensive variety of smaller species 

 of the genus Felis ; but there is one in India which I have only 

 observed upon two occasions ; this is the colour of a puma, rather 

 long in the leg, with pointed tufts of black hair at the tips of the 

 ears, giving it the appearance of a lynx. I have a skin in my 

 possession which I shot in the Central Provinces of India in 1888. 

 The whole of the genus Felis, from the lion to the ordinary 

 cat, have the same number of teeth six cutting teeth, six 

 front teeth, and two incisors in either jaw. The tongues are 

 invariably rough, and in the lion and the tiger they are prickly to 

 such a degree that flesh could be licked clean off the bone without 

 the preliminary and impatient process of tearing by the teeth. 



The often-questioned thorn in the extreme end of a lion's tail 

 is by no means a fallacy ; this is a distinct termination in a sharp 

 horny point, which, although only a quarter of an inch or less in 

 length, is most decided. I do not consider that there is any 

 special use for this termination, any more than there would be for 

 the tuft of black hair which forms the extremity, and which con- 

 ceals the thorny substance. 



1 We measured this lioness carefully with a piece of string ; she was 9 feet 

 6 inches from nose to tip of tail. 



