QUADRUPEDS. 31 



He is also a much rarer animal in Asia than in Africa. " In 

 the sandy deserts of 'Arabia, in some of the wilder districts 

 of Persia, and in the vast jungles of Hindostan, he still 

 maintains a precarious footing ; but from the classic soil of 

 Greece, as well as from the whole of Asia Minor, both of 

 which were once exposed to his ravages, he has been utterly 

 dislodged and extii-pated."* The fine Indian lion which is 

 at present an inhabitant of the Tower of London under the 

 name of George was procured by General Watson in the 

 following manner, according to the account published by 

 Mr. Bennet : — It was about the commencement of the year 

 1823, when the general was on ser\'ice in Bengal, that, 

 being out one morning on horseback, armed with a double- 

 barrelled rifle, he was suddenly surprised by a large lion, 

 which bounded out upon him from a thick jungle, at the 

 distance of only a few yards. He instantly fired, and the 

 shot taking complete effect, the animal fell dead almost at 

 his feet ; but no sooner was this formidable foe thus disposed 

 of than a second, equlilly terrible, made her appearance m 

 the person of the lioness, whom the general also shot at and 

 wounded so dangerously that she retreated into the tliicket. 

 As her following so immediately in the footsteps of her mate 

 afforded strong grounds for suspecting that their den could 

 not be far distant, he determined upon pursuing the adven- 

 ture to the end, and traced her to her retreat, where he 

 completed the work of her destruction by again discharging 

 the contents of one of the barrels of his rifle, which he had 

 loaded for the purpose. In the den were found a beautiful 

 pair of cubs, male and female, supposed to be then not more 

 than three days old. These General Watson brought away 

 with him, and succeeded, by the assistance of a goat, who 

 was prevailed upon to act in the capacity of foster-mother 

 to the royal pair, in rearing them until they attained suffi- 

 cient age and strength to enable them to bear the voyage 

 to England. On their arrival in this country, in September, 

 1823, he presented them to his majesty, who commanded 

 them to be placed in the Tower. t 



The extreme youth of these lions at the time of their 

 capture, and the constant control exercised over them, pro- 

 duced of course the expected results. They continued so 



* Tower Menagerie, p. 6. t ^^- P- "• 



