WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



quantity of food, until the courage and temper of the 

 animals hecome perfectly African. The natural instincts 

 and power being thus developed, the animals are far more 

 healthy and vigorous than the fat, well-fed, lazy, sleepy 

 occupants of the dens in the London Zoological Gardens. 

 The travelling showman is delighted, upon arriving at a 

 quiet country town or village, to startle the inhabitants 

 by the loud, angry and hungry roaring of his lions, which 

 has far greater influence and service as an advertisement 

 than the best band of music ; in fact, the roaring of the 

 lions, when they thunder forth, is called the menagerie 

 music, and the band that accompanies the caravan is 

 looked upon as quite of secondary importance. The more 

 aristocratic lions in the Regent's Park are too well behaved 

 to disturb the peace of that highly respectable locality, 

 and therefore are seldom heard to give vent to their feel- 

 ings in the same manner as their plebeian brothers. 



The proprietor of a well-known travelling menagerie 

 stated that, on one occasion, the largest male lion in his 

 collection escaped, during the night, through a hole he 

 made in the bottom of his den. He went prow^ling about 

 in the dark, and first came upon a man whose duty was 

 that of watchman. This individual was quietly napping 

 on a bundle of hay in a comer of the booth, and was made 

 conscious of the proximity of danger by the lion sniffing 

 and smelling at his mouth, so fearfully close, that the 

 watchman could distinctly feel the hot breath of the lion 

 on his face. With great self-command and wonderful 

 presence of mind he remained perfectly motionless during 

 this trying moment, the fear of death so close at hand 

 causing his breath almost to cease, as had he moved or 

 startled he would have, in all probability, lost his life. 

 He was, however, relieved at hearing his unwelcome mid- 

 night visitor slowly walk away and make off in the 



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