82 VERTEBRATA. MAMMALIA. 



at her hind legs, instinctively keeping at a respectful 

 distance from her head ; but she was quite dead. 



" We reloaded to prepare for the other ; but she, 

 or he, (for we had afterwards reason to believe it 

 was a young male) had risen on the first rush of the 

 dogs, and turning about a hundred yards off, one 

 of the shooters had seen him couch again. How- 

 ever he was nowhere to be seen, having probably 

 stolen off during the smoke of our shots ; and we 

 ran up to where the first lay, and stood gazing in 

 admiration of our prize. She was a very handsome, 

 full-grown Lioness, measuring nine feet from nose 

 to tail; her skin beautifully sleek, and the upper 

 part of a rich tawny, darker down the spine, while 

 the jaws, throat, belly, and inside of the legs, were 

 of a pure milky-white. Her bright yellow eyes 

 were wide open and life-like, while five bullet 

 holes in her chest and shoulders, out of the six 

 shots, reflected no disgrace on our shooting. 



" We called up the servants with our horses, 

 and remounting, rode briskly under the heavy rain, 

 with our guns pointed downwards, for fear of acci- 

 dent from the lightning, in the direction we sup- 

 posed the other to have taken ; but, after a short un- 

 successful search, it was determined, as the shower 

 was nearly over, and the thunder rolling away in 

 the distance, to off saddle and turn our horses loose 

 to graze and roll, previously to commencing a pur- 

 suit of the first two Lions. 



" While sitting in debate after dinner on the 

 disappointment of all our fair hopes, and the morti- 



