LION 453 



LION (Felis leo). 



Ambassa of the Abyssinians. Mkango or Nkalamo in the Chilala 

 ,Asced. of the Arabs. and Chibisa countries. 



Iinbubi of the Swazis and Zulus. Siinba of the Swahilis. 



Lendja of the Gallas. Tan of the Basutos. 



Libbah of the Somahs. Tauw in the Barotse country. 



Libbaka of the Abyssinians (Dan- Tauw in the Lake Ngami countries, 

 akil). 



Any description of such a familiar animal as the lion (the only cat 

 in which the male is furnished with a mane on the head and shoulders, 

 and a tuft of long hair to the tip of the tail) would obviously be 

 superiluous here. One of the great points of interest attaching to the 

 species is its wide geographical distribution ; and it has not yet been 

 determined that the Indian form can be separated as a distinct race, 

 the alleged absence of the mane having been shown to be inconstant. 

 Neither can black-maned and yellow-maned lions be regarded as 

 distinct forms, since examples of both may be met with in one and 

 the same litter. Somali lions seem, however, to run smaller than 

 those from either the Cape or Algeria, although their manes are 

 often very fine. Heights of 3 feet 4^ and 3 feet 8 inches at the 

 shoulder have been recorded in African specimens (the larger measure- 

 ment by F. C. Selous), and 3 feet 6 inches in an Indian example (by 

 Gen. W. Rice). Colonel Paget estimated the weight of a Somali lion 

 at about 550 lbs. Wild lions never develop the enormous manes 

 frequently seen in menagerie examples. 



Distribution. — At the present day Africa from Algeria to the Cape, 

 Mesopotamia on the west flanks of the Zagros range, Persia south 

 of Shiraz, and India in the districts of Kathiawar, Sind, the Central 

 Provinces, and Bundelcund. Now very rare in the latter country. 



