THE LION. 



117 



TONGUE OP LION. 



creatures, is familiar with the dry roughness of pussy's tongue, as she licks the hand of her 

 human friend. This peculiarity of formation is the more conspicuous because it presents so 

 great a contrast with the wet, smooth tongue of the dog ; and, as a general rule, men are more 

 accustomed to the lingual caresses of the dog than of the cat. The cause of the strangely dry 

 tongue of the Felidae is at once seen by reference to the tongue of a lion or tiger, or by apply- 

 ing a magnifying glass to the tongue of a domestic cat. 



The entire surface of the tongue is covered with innumerable conical projections, which 

 are so curved that their points lie towards the throat. On the central line of the tongue these 

 projections are larger than at the side. Their chief, if not their only use, is to aid the cat in 

 stripping the flesh from the bones of the animals which it has killed, and so to prevent the 



least avoidable waste of nutriment. Truly, in 

 nature the economical system reigns supreme, and 

 waste is an impossibility. 



So strongly made are these armatures, that 

 the constant licking of a cat's tongue will remove 

 the living tissues from a delicate skin, while the 

 tongue of the Lion can rapidly cause the outflow 

 of blood. There is a well-authenticated anec- 

 dote of a tame Lion cub and its owner, which 

 exhibits strongly the rasping power of the feline 

 tongue. 



Of the magnificent and noble creatures called 

 Lions, several species are reported to exist, 

 although it is thought by many experienced 

 judges that there is really but one species of 

 Lion, which is modified into permanent varieties according to the country in which it lives. 



The best known of these species or varieties is the South African Lion, of whom so 

 many anecdotes have been narrated. This noble animal is found in nearly all parts of Southern 

 Africa, where the foot of civilized man has not stayed its wanderings. Before the tread of the 

 white man, the Lion shrinks unwillingly, haunting each advanced post for a time, but driven 

 surely and slowly backward as the human intellect gains opportunity for manifesting its 

 supremacy over the lower animals. So entirely does man sweep the wild beasts from his 

 presence, that even in the Cape colony, a living Lion is just as great a rarity as in England, 

 and there are very few of the colonists who have ever beheld a living Lion except when 

 pent in a cage. 



The color of the Lion is a tawny yellow, lighter on the under parts of the body, and darker 

 above. The ears are blackish, and the tip of the tail is decorated with a tuft of black hair. 

 This tuft serves to distinguish the Lion from any other member of the cat tribe. The male 

 Lion, when full grown, is furnished with a thick and shaggy mane of very long hair, which 

 falls from the neck, shoulders, and part of the throat and chin, varying in tint according to 

 the age of the animal, and possibly according to the locality which it inhabits. The Lioness 

 possesses no mane, and even in the male Lion it is not properly developed until the animal 

 has completed his third year. 



When fully grown, the male Lion measures some four feet in height at the shoulder, and 

 about eleven feet in total length. These measurements are only applicable to the noble animals 

 which have passed their lives in the free air of their native land, and have attained their 

 majority with limbs unshackled and spirits unbroken. 



The Lioness is a smaller animal than her mate, and the difference of size appears to be 

 much greater than really is the case, because she is devoid of the thick mane which gives such 

 grandeur and dignity to her spouse. Although smaller in size, she is quite as terrible in com- 

 bat ; and, indeed, the Lioness is oft-times a foe much more to be dreaded than the Lion. When 

 she has a little family to look after, Lesena is a truly fearful enemy to those who cross her 

 path, assuming at once the offensive, and charging the intruders with a fierce courage that 

 knows no fear and heeds no repulse. 



