FELIDE S11 
satiated with a good meal the night before, unexpectedly disturbed 
in the day-time, will occasionally retreat when confronted, even by 
an unarmed man, that is scarcely a reason for assigning cowardice 
as one of the characteristics of the species. The latest authority, 
Selous, while never denying the daring courage of the Lion when 
hungry or provoked, and vindicating the awe-inspiring character of 
the roar of several Lions in unison, when heard at close quarters, 
as the grandest sound in nature, says with regard to its outward 
aspect :— 
“Tt has always appeared to me that the word ‘majestic’ is 
singularly inapplicable to the lion in its wild state, as when seen 
by daylight he always has a stealthy furtive look that entirely 
does away with the idea of majesty. To look majestic a lion 
should hold his head high. This he seldom does. When walking 
he holds it low, lower than the line of his back, and it is only 
when he first becomes aware of the presence of man that he some- 
times raises his head and takes a look at the intruder, usually 
lowering it immediately, and trotting away with a growl. When 
at bay, standing with open mouth and glaring eyes, holding his 
head low between his shoulders, and keeping up a continuous low 
growling, twitching his tail the while from side to side, no animal 
can look more unpleasant than a lion; but there is then nothing 
majestic or noble in his appearance.” 
Notwithstanding this evidently truthful description of the 
animal when seen under what may be called unfavourable circum- 
stances, no one with an eye for beauty can contemplate the form 
of a fine specimen of a Lion, at all events in a state of repose, even 
though in the confinement of a menagerie, without being impressed 
with the feeling that it is a grand and noble-looking animal. 
The Tiger (F. tigris) is so closely related to the Lion that it is 
chiefly by external characters that the two species are distinguished. 
There are, however, slight distinctions in the proportionate size of 
the lower teeth, the general form of the cranium, and the relative 
length of the nasal bones and ascending processes of the maxillaries 
by which the skull of the Lion and Tiger can be easily discriminated 
by the practised observer. 
Although examples of both species present considerable varia- 
tions in size, and reliance cannot always be placed upon alleged 
dimensions, especially when taken from skins stripped from the 
body, it seems well ascertained that the length of the largest-sized 
Bengal Tiger may exceed that of any Lion. According to Mr. W. 
T. Blanford,! adult males measure from 5} to 64 feet from the 
nose to the root of the tail; the tail itself measuring some 3 feet 
in length. Measured along the curves of the head and back to the 
tip of the tail, males usually give a length of from 9 to 10 feet, 
1 Fauna of British India, ‘‘ Mammalia,” p. 59 (1888). 
