THE LION 269 



troop to-day. This skilful hunter came to an 

 unhappy end, being poisoned, it is believed, by a 

 jealous native wife, who, though she had previ- 

 ously helped him to track and even shoot elephants, 

 could not tolerate a younger rival. 



Capello and Ivens tell the story of one lion 

 which (sixty years ago) actually entered the 

 house near Providencia of a Portuguese settler 

 who had already killed twenty-six of thege animals. 

 The Portuguese, who beat off the lion with a heavy 

 candlestick, and wounded it with a Bullet, forced 

 it to take refuge in the kitchen, where it was killed 

 with his head jammed between the 'legs of a heavy 

 table. 



Lions are eighteen months of age before they 

 cut their permanent canines and can kill for 

 themselves. Probably for this reason a similar 

 interval separates the ages of succeeding litters. 

 Spotted on the legs at birth, lion cubs lose these 

 markings, possibly a protective colouring, when 

 they grow older and do not need them for their 

 work at night. The colour of the lion's mane 

 depends on that of his parent, as does the colouring 

 of hair in human beings, though, contrary to what 

 occurs with us, it is the fair mane that predominates 

 among lions. 



The education of young lions in killing their 

 prey is a costly business where stock is concerned, 

 as their parents will sometimes encourage them 

 to kill half a dozen animals in one night for 

 practice. 



Lions hunt by silent stalks up wind or by 

 driving. In the latter case one animal of the troop 



