146 



THE GAMBIAN LION. 



that he may chance to find, and indeed is in no way particular whether it be tainted or 

 otherwise. So thoroughly is this the case, that Lion-hunters are in the habit of decoy- 

 ing their mighty game by means of dead antelopes or oxen, which they lay near some 

 water-spring, knowing well that the Lions are sure to seize so excellent an opportunity 

 of satisfying at the same time the kindred appetites of thirst and hunger. 



In default of larger game, the Lion feels no hesitation in employing his mighty paw 

 in the immolation of the small rodents, and frequently makes a meal on locusts, diver- 

 sified with an occasional lizard or beetle. Led by implanted instinct, this animal will, 

 when water is not to be found, quench its thirst by devouring the juicy water-melons, 

 that so marvellously store up the casual moistures of the desert, which would other- 

 wise be exhaled in vapor before the fierce rays of the burning sun. Many other car- 

 nivorous animals, and one or two carnivorous birds, are known to possess the same in- 

 stinctive knowledge. The scientific name of this water-melon is " Cucumis Caffer," 

 and its native title " Kengwe," or " Kerne." 



That a carnivorous animal should voluntarily take to vegetable food is a very curious 

 fact, and seems to argue a high state of intellectual power. It is true that herbivo- 

 rous animals, such as the rhinoceros and others, will resort to the same plant for the 

 purpose of quenching their thirst ; but then it must be remembered that these latter 

 creatures are but following their usual dietary system, while the Lion is acting in a 

 manner directly opposed to his own flesh-loving nature. 



The cautious habits which the Lion acquires when its domain has been invaded by 

 man are most singular, and exhibit a considerable degree of reasoning power. The 

 Lion which has never known man, knows no fear at the sight of man and his deadly 

 weapons, attacking him with as much freedom as it would attack an antelope. But 

 after it has had some experience of man and his wiles, it can only be induced by the 

 calls of pressing hunger to venture upon an open attack, or to approach any object 

 that looks as if it might be a trap. 



Lions have been known to surround an escaped horse, and to prowl round it for two 

 entire days, not daring to attack so apparently defenceless a prey, simply because its 

 bridle was dangling from its neck, and made the creature suspicious, even though the 

 rein had accidentally been hitched over a stump. On another occasion, a Lion crept 

 close to a haltered ox, saw the halter, and did not like it, crept away again until he 

 reached a little hillock about three hundred yards away, and there stood and roared 

 all night. 



The hunters take advantage of this extreme caution to preserve the game which 

 they have killed from any marauding Lion that may happen to pass in that direction. 

 A simple white streamer tied to a stick, and waving over the dead beast, is amply 

 sufficient to prevent the Lions from approaching so uncanny an object. Sometimes, 

 when no streamer can be manufactured, a kind of clapper is substituted, which shakes 

 in the wind, and by the unaccustomed sound, very much alarms the Lion. It does 

 truly seem absurd, that so terrible a beast as the Lion should be frightened by the 

 fluttering of a white handkerchief, or the clattering of two sticks devices which 

 would be laughed to scorn by a tomtit of ordinary capacity. 



Nearly all the feline animals seize their prey by the back of the neck, but the Lion 

 seems to prefer the flank or shoulders as his point of attack. It seldom happens that 

 the Lion springs upon the back of his prey, as is the case with many of the felidae, for 

 in the chase of a large animal, he chooses rather to pull down the doomed creature by 

 main strength, his hinder feet resting on the earth, and his fore-paws and fangs tearing 

 deeply into the neck and shoulders of his victim. There are, of course, exceptional 

 instances, but the general rule seems to be that the Lion either strikes down his prey 

 with a furious blow of his paw, or drags it to the ground by hanging on its neck with 

 teeth and claws. 



The young of the Lion are various in number, sometimes amounting to three or four 

 at a birth, thus entirely controverting the well-known fable of the Lioness and Fox. For 

 some time, the young Lion cubs present a curious appearance, their fur being faintly 

 brindled in a manner very similar to that of the tiger, or, to give a more familiar illus- 

 tration, resembling the coat of a tabby cat, very indistinctly marked upon a light tawny 



