442 ANIMALS OF THE 



follows to partake or seize the spoil. The same 

 account is given also of the jackall ; and very pro- 

 bably it may be true, not only of these animals, 

 but of some others, since it is natural enough to 

 suppose that the lion will pursue whenever he is 

 taught to discover his prey. 



We had one of those animals a few years ago 

 sent over from the East Indies, but it was not 

 able to endure the change of climate, and it died 

 in a very short time after it was brought to the 

 Tower. Whether consumed by disease or not I 

 cannot tell, but it seemed to be much slenderer 

 than the cat or the lynx, and its ears were much 

 longer ; however, it is a very strong creature for 

 its size, and has been known to kill a large dog 

 in single combat :* nevertheless it is, like all of 

 the cat kind except the lion, remarkable for its 

 cowardice, and will never, except in cases of 

 necessity, attack an animal that is its equal in 

 strength or activity. For this reason, when 

 brought into the field, and put upon a service of 

 danger, it obstinately refuses, and is alert only in 

 the pursuit of animals that are too feeble for re- 

 sistance, or too timid to exert their strength. 



From what has been said of this rapacious* tribe, 

 we perceive a similitude in the manners and dis- 

 positions of them all, from the lion to the cat. 

 The similitude of their internal conformation is 

 still more exact ; the shortness of their intestines, 

 the number of their teeth, and the structure of 

 their paws. The first of this class is the Lion, 



Buflbn. 



