IN CAPTIVITY IN LOWER BENGAL. 43 



chalk and coal tar was introduced into the den — the lion fled before it 

 through the open door into the cage outside. 



Treatment in sickness. 



The diseases from which lions have been observed to suffer in this 

 garden are paralysis, congestion of the lungs, dysentery and diarrhoea. 



A pair of Indian lions obtained towards the latter end of 1877 

 became paralysed soon after their arrival. The origin of the malady 

 was never exactly discovered : perhaps their long confinement in a 

 small cage and the exposure incidental to a long voyage by sea round 

 India may have rendered them liable to the attack. When the 

 symptoms of paralysis first appeared, every precaution was taken to 

 keep them dry and warm, and, as the animals were young and not at 

 all intractable, anodynes in the shape of camphor and soap liniments 

 were freely rubbed over their limbs with the help of a short mop. No 

 medicine was given internally in the first stage. Live food was given 

 them every day with a view to give tone to their systems. As the 

 malady became alarming, strychnia in \ grain doses was given morning 

 and evening, but without effect. In spite, however, of careful treatment 

 and nursing, their condition gradually became worse, so that to put an 

 end to their troubles they were shot. 



In September 1880 a young lioness died from congestion of both 

 lungs. Early one wet morning the animal was found lying almost 

 senseless near the door at the back of the inner den, breathing hard and 

 foaming from the mouth. Poultices and fomentation were alternately 

 applied on the chest, carbonate of ammonia and chloric ether in vinegar 

 being internally given every two hours. The animal being exception- 

 ally tame and the sharp attack of the illness having prostrated it greatly, 

 there was no difficulty in administering the medicine ; all that was 

 necessary was to slightly lift up its head and pour down the medicine 

 from a small bamboo pail. At one time some hope of its recovery was 

 entertained, but towards the end of the night it became worse and 

 died next morning after having suffered for nearly 24 hours. A 

 post-mortem examination revealed extensive congestion of both the lungs 

 brought on by a sudden draught which had probably entered through the 

 latticed shutter of the back door. As a precaution against a repetition 

 of the same disaster, the shutters were all boarded up, and not a single 

 ease of sudden death from lung disease has taken place since. 



Lately a lion died from dysentery. No medicine was given 

 internally, but the beast was fed on live food, until at last it refused to 

 take nourishment in any form. The animal lived for about 17 days 

 without food. 



Sometimes wounds and injuries received accidentally or in fighting 

 give trouble. A young male lion was lately injured in transit by rail 

 from Jconaghur (in Katty war) to Calcutta, and the severe inflammation 

 which supervened involved one of the eyes also. As the animal was 

 not amenable to treatment by hand, all that could be done was to apply 

 constantly a weak solution of corrosive sublimate (1 in 1,000) with a 

 garden syringe until the inflammation subsided and the wound 

 healed up. The wound, however, broke out again owing to the irrita- 

 tion caused by constant rubbing of the forehead against the iron rods 



