HABITS OF THE LION". 23 



caravan descends the mountain road," or watches for a 

 traveller with his horse, or some belated herdsman. I know 

 an Arab, who once, while riding home, met with such a ban- 

 dit crouching by the road-side. The man sprang to the 

 ground, stripped the saddle and bridle from his horse, and 

 ran away, leaving his poor beast as a hostage in the grasp of 

 the enemy. But these adventures are rarely terminated so 

 pleasantly, and seldom does a man, either on foot or on horse- 

 back, regain his tent, who has met in his wanderings face to 

 with the black lion. 



The tawny lion and the grey lion, do not differ from each 

 other, except in the color of the mane, and are a little larger 

 than the black lion, and not so short. With the exception 

 of the differences we have just shown, all the three species 

 have the sajne character and habits. The life of this animal 

 may be divided into two distinct eras, in which he seems to 

 be, after a manner, an entirely different being, which differ- 

 ence has given rise to a thousand errors respecting him; 

 these two eras are the day and night. 



In the day-time he is accustomed to retire into the depths 

 of the woods, at a distance from all noise, to sleep and digest 

 his meals at his leisure. In the night he roams abroad, the 

 king of the universe. It has been said that the lion will not 

 attack a man, because perchance a man has found himself 

 face to face with one, that the flies or the sun has obliged to 

 change his lair, or that has come down to the water to drink, 

 and yet escaped with impunity, without remembering tliat the 

 drowsy epicure was half asleep, and sated with food. He does 

 not kill for the pleasure of killing, but to satisfy his hunger, or 



