918 PROPORTIONS OF NOURISHMENT IN 



contradicted by all experience. For every one 

 knows, that a horse or ox weighing 700 Ibs. may 

 be well supported on 10 Ibs. of pure grain per 

 day. But I am informed by the celebrated Van 

 Amburgh, that a lion of the largest size requires 

 every twenty-four hours, from 10 to 12 Ibs. of 

 clear flesh, during six days in the week ; and 

 from 16 to 18 Ibs. when mixed with bone, as in 

 a neck piece of fresh beef, that his large tiger 

 consumes nearly the same quantity, and the 

 lioness about 10 Ibs. that the spotted Jaguar or 

 Brazilian tiger, which weighs from 190 to 200 Ibs. 

 requires daily from 6 to 7 Ibs. of clear flesh, and 

 the leopard 5 Ibs. If then the Brazilian tiger 

 weigh 200 Ibs. and require 7 Ibs. of fresh meat 

 per day, he would require 24-f Ibs. if as large as 

 a full grown horse or ox. And if we estimate the 

 proportion of water in 24^ Ibs. of lean meat at 75 

 per cent, there will remain 6- 12 Ibs. of nutritive 

 matter, which would be consumed daily by a 

 carnivorous animal weighing 700 Ibs. But the 

 quantity of nitrogenized matter in 10 Ibs. of oats, 

 barley, or maize, varies from 1*17 to 1*30 Ib. 

 From which it is obvious, that according to Lie- 

 big's theory, a carnivorous animal weighing 

 700 Ibs. would take in with his food above five 

 times more nitrogen than a horse living daily on 

 10 Ibs. of grain. It also follows, that as there is 

 only 1-80 per cent, of nitrogen in dried potatoes, 

 38 Ibs. in the fresh state, would be required to 



