214 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 



art of living, and hard-heartedly drives them 

 away." As she will have four or five more 

 litters, all equally large, before the summer is 

 over, we can easily understand that she has not 

 much time to spend over the nursing and 

 education of each set of babies. 



In many of the larger mammals the time the 

 young take to develop within the mother and 

 the time of their helplessness after birth are 

 very long, and it is among these that we find 

 parental affection at its best. It is not merely 

 mother-love the mouse has that, though only 

 for a short time. Both parents show affection 

 for their children, and their common care for 

 them has often led to lasting affection for each 

 other. The lion hunts along with his mate 

 during the breeding-season, but, as soon as she 

 becomes unable to accompany him, he hunts for 

 her, bringing his kill to the den, and letting 

 her satisfy her hunger before he takes his own 

 meal. From the time the cubs are weaned 

 until they are able to hunt for themselves he 

 kills for them too, and when they are able to 

 go out, which is not till they are almost a year 

 old, both parents go with them to teach them 

 their business in life. Both, but especially the 

 lioness, will defend the cubs fiercely from any 



