THE BENGAL LION. 3 
these, he has, on each side of the upper jaw, a small 
tooth, or rather tubercle, placed immediately behind the 
rest. His tongue is covered with innumerable rough 
and elevated papille, the points of which are directed 
backwards: these also assist in comminuting his food, 
and not unfrequently leave their traces on the hand 
which has been offered him to lick. His claws, five in 
number on the fore feet, and four on the hind, are of 
great length, extremely hard, and much curved; they 
are retractile within a sheath enclosed in the skin which 
covers the extremity of his paws; and as they are only 
exposed when he has occasion to make use of them, they 
thus preserve the sharpness of their edge and the acute- 
ness of their point unimpaired. In all these particulars 
the Lion essentially agrees with the rest of the cats; and 
it is these which constitute what naturalists have termed 
their generic character; in other words, they are the 
points of agreement which are common to the whole 
group or genus, and form the most prominent and striking 
characteristics, by which they may be at once connected 
together and separated from all other animals. 
The Lion is distinguished from other cats by the 
uniformity of his colour, which is pale tawny above, 
becoming somewhat lighter beneath, and never, except 
in his young state, exhibiting the least appearance of 
spots or stripes: by the long and flowing mane of the 
adult male, which, originating nearly as far forward as 
the root of his nose, extends backwards over his shoul- 
ders, and descends in graceful undulations on each side 
of his neck and face; and by the tuft of long and blackish 
hairs which terminates his powerful tail. ‘These consti- 
tute what is termed his specific character, or that which 
B2 
