270 LIFE OF DA VID LIVINGSTONE, LL.D. 



fissure only being left through which she can protrude the tip of her long bill 

 to receive food from her attendant mate, and he, reciprocally, poke his into 

 the procreative prison to tempt her with some dainty. (Applause.) 



" Of the ostrich much has been written ; yet we wanted Livingstone's 

 testimony of the vocal power of the wild male, roaring like the lion, and only, 

 as our traveller tells us, distinguishable by being heard in broad day instead 

 of by night. (Continued applause.) Of the king of beasts himself the 

 volume contains the richest storehouse of facts, from direct and varied 

 observations of him in his native wilderness. 



" Perhaps, however, this is the part of our friend's book that has failed 

 to give unmixed satisfaction to the British public. We dislike to have our 

 settled notions disturbed by provokingly unvarnished, uncompromising asser- 

 tions of facts that militate against a cherished prepossession. Some of us feel 

 rather sore at our notions of the majesty of England's old emblematic beast 

 being upset by the sum of our guest's opportunities of intimate acquaintance 

 with the natural disposition and habits of the lion of South Africa. (Laughter.) 

 Fearfully intimate, indeed, was part of his experience ! That direful grip — 

 which since has left one arm a dangling appendage — when the dishevelled 

 mane of the irate monster was tossed about his victim's head, and the hot 

 breath driven with deafening roar into his ear ! — did it shake all respect for 

 the traditional nobility of the lion out of the Doctor's mind ? Certain it is, 

 the sum of his recorded observations shows the lion to be a slothful, skulking, 

 cruel beast of prey, — by no means the psychical compound we have delighted 

 to associate with our national emblem. (Laughter.) Perhaps, however, I 

 have a word of comfort for those who would still glorify its type. Species 

 differ in habits. The British lion is not a mere heraldic monster, but was 

 once a grim flesh-and-blood reality. I have had the satisfaction of deter- 

 mining that the Felis spelcea of our Yorkshire, Somersetshire, and Devonshire 

 bone-caves was a veritable lion, surpassing in bulk, and with paws of twice 

 the relative size, of those of the largest living lion of North or South Africa. 

 The old British species has passed away — at least he now only shakes his 

 mane and roars in metaphor (continued laughter) ; but the extinct antetype 

 may have possessed all the qualities which his most ardent admirer would 

 have ascribed to him. (Cheers.) 



"It is hard for the naturalist, when on his favourite topic, to forbear 

 gleaning from Livingstone's full and rich storehouse of facts about buffaloes, 

 rhinoceroses, elephants, and so forth. But the hour reminds me that time has 

 fled apace — quickly because so pleasantly. 



" Our excellent chairman has pointedly adverted to one quality in 

 Livingstone — his inflexible adherence to his word. (Cheers.) It is shown in 

 small as well as great things. When, eighteen years ago, the young 

 missionary was preparing himself for his task, he devoted part of his short 



