NATURAL HISTORY. 287 



inent, a:id waits for a more favourable opportunity. 

 He devours a great deal at a time, and generally fill* 

 himself for two or three days to cume. His teeth are 

 so strong that he very easily breaks the bones, and 

 swallows them with the rest of the body. It is re- 

 ported that he can endure hunger a very long time ; 

 but he cannot support thirst in an equal degree, his 

 temperament being extremely hot. He drinks as of- 

 ten as he meets with water, lapping like a dog. He 

 generally requires about fifteen pounds of raw flesh 

 in a day ; and seldom devours the bodies of animals 

 when they begin to putrify. While young and active 

 the lion subsists on what he can obtain by the chase, 

 and seldom quits his native deserts and forests ; but 

 when he becomes old, heavy, and less qualified for ex- 

 ercise, he approaches the habitations of man, to whom 

 he becomes a dangerous enemy. It is observed, how- 

 ever, that when he sees men and animals together, it 

 is always on the latter, never on the former, that he 

 vents his fury ; unless indeed he should be struck, and 

 then, at no loss to know whence the blow came, he 

 instantly deserts his prey, in order to be revenged for 

 the injury. The flesh of the camel he is said to pre- 

 fer to that of any other animal. He is likewise ex- 

 ceedingly fond of that of young elephants, which 

 from their inability to resist him, till they have re- 

 ceived the assistance of their tusks, he easily dispatches, 

 when unprotected by the dam ; nor are there any ani- 

 mals able to oppose the lion, but the elephant, the 

 rhinoceros, the tiger, and the hippopotamus. 



However terrible this animal may be, it is not un- 

 common, with dogs of a large size, and well supported 

 vrith a proper number of men on horse-back, to chase 

 him, dislodge him, and force him to retire. But fofr 



