THE STORY OF THE LION. 



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camel for several minutes without attempting to break its neck. I have seen 

 a horse, a young elephant and two antelopes killed by a bite in the throat; 

 while I have also known instances of horses and zebras being killed by a bite 

 on the back of the neck behind the head. Buffaloes are sometimes killed by 

 a dislocation of the neck, which is effected by the liou springing onto their 

 shoulders, and then seizing their noses with one paw, giving the neck a sudden 

 wrench. 



It was formerly a prevalent notion that lions were in the habit of carrying 



A PLAYFUL OLD LION. 



off the carcasses of large animals, like oxen and buffaloes, by throwing them 

 over their back and walking bodily away with them. All recent observers 

 are, however, agreed that this is by no means a correct statement, and that 

 their invariable practice is to transport such carcasses by dragging them along 

 the ground. A South African lion would be quite incapable of lifting a 

 buffalo from the ground, much less of leaping over a fence with it, as the 

 lion of North Africa has been alleged to do. In referring to an instance of 



