138 HABITS OF THE LION. Chap. VII. 



man happens to cross to the windward of them, both lion and 

 lioness will rash at him, in the manner of a bitch with whelps. 

 This does not often happen, as I only became aware of two or 

 three instances of it. In one case a man, passing where the wind 

 blew from him to the animals, was bitten before he could climb a 

 tree ; and occasionally a man on horseback has been caught by 

 the leg under the same circumstances. So general, however, is 

 the sense of security on moonlight nights that we seldom tied up 

 our oxen, but let them he loose by the waggons ; while on a dark 

 rainy night, if a Hon is in the neighbourhood, he is almost sure to 

 venture to kill an ox. His approach is always stealthy, except 

 when wounded ; and any appearance of a trap is enough to cause 

 him to refrain from making the last spring. Tins seems charac- 

 teristic of the feline species ; when a goat is picketed in India 

 for the purpose of enabling the huntsman to shoot a tiger by 

 night, if on a plain, he would whip off the animal so quickly by 

 a stroke of the paw that no one could take aim ; to obviate this, a 

 small pit is dug, and the goat is picketed to a stake in the 

 bottom ; a small stone is tied in the ear of the goat, which makes 

 him cry the whole night. When the tiger sees the appearance 

 of a trap, he walks round and round the pit, and allows the 

 hunter, who is lying in wait, to have a fair shot. 



When a lion is very hungry, and lying hi wait, the sight of 

 an animal may make liim commence stalking it. In one case a 

 man, while stealthily crawling towards a rhinoceros, happened to 

 glance beliind him, and found to his horror a lion stalking him ; 

 he only escaped by springing up a tree like a cat. At Lopepe a 

 lioness sprang on the after quarter of Mr. Oswell's horse, and 

 when we came up to him we fomid the marks of the claws on 

 the horse, and a scratch on Mr. O.'s hand. The horse on feeling 

 the lion on him sprang away, and the rider, caught by a wait-a- 

 bit thorn, was brought to the ground and rendered insensible. 

 His dogs saved him. Another English gentleman (Captain Cocl- 

 rington) was surprised in the same way, though not hunting the 

 lion at the time, but turning round he shot him dead in the 

 neck. By accident a horse belonging to Codrington ran away, 

 but was stopped by the bridle catching a stump; there he 

 remained a prisoner two days, and when found the whole space 

 around was marked by the footprints of lions. They had evi- 



