MAMMALIA—LION. 175 
in all directions ; they rush into the very danger which they seek to avoid 
This fearful sound, which the lion utters, is produced by the great compara- 
tive size of the larynx, the principal organ of voice in all animals.* He 
utters it to excite that fear which is necessary to his easy selection of an 
individual ¥ictim. 
“ The lion, as well as all of the cat tribe, takes his prey at night; and it 1s 
necessary, therefore, that he should have peculiar organs of vision. In ali 
those animals which seek their food in the dark, the eye is usually of a 
large size, to admit a great number of rays; and that part which is called 
the chorovdes reflects, instead of absorbing, the light. The power of seeing 
in the dark, which the cat tribe possesses, has always appeared a subject of 
mystery ; and it is natural that it should be so, for man himself sees with 
more difficulty in the dark than any other animal; he has a compensation 
in his ability to produce artificial light. This peculiar kind of eye, there- 
fore, is necessary to the lion to perceive his prey; and he creeps towards it 
with a certainty which nothing but this distinct nocturnal vision could give 
“ Every one must have observed what are usually called the whiskers on a 
cat’s upper lip. The use of these ina state of nature is very important. 
They are organs of touch. The slightest contact of these whiskers with 
any surrounding object is felt most distinctly by the animal, although the 
hairs are themselves insensible. They stand out on each side, in the lion, 
as well as in the common cat, so that, from point to point, they are equal to 
the width of the animal’s body. 
“Tf we imagine, therefore, a lion stealing through a covert of wood in an 
imperfect light, we shall at once see the use of these long hairs. They in- 
dicate to him, through the nicest feeling, any obstacle which may present 
itself to the passage of his body; they prevent the rustle of boughs and 
leaves, which would give warning to his prey if he were to attempt to pass 
through too close’a bush ; —and thus, in conjunction with the soft cushions 
of his feet, they enable him to move towards his victim with a stillness 
greater even than that of the snake, who creeps along the grass, and is not 
perceived till he has coiled round his prey.” . 
* “The size of the larynx is pr is aeeure to the strength of the sounds which ani- 
mals utter. The absolute size of the lar of the whale and the elephant 1s the 
argest; but relatively the larynx of the lion Ha: has a still greater circumference.”—Notes to 
Blumenbach’s Comp. Anatomy, by Lawrence and Coulson, 1827. 
. 
