L I O 
confequently the Lion muft be an unwelcome in- 
truder on the fruits of their labour. 
When prefied with hunger, the Lion boldly at- 
tacks every animal that comes in his way: but, 
as he is extremely formidable, and anxioufly avoid- 
ed by every beaft of the foreft, he is often obliged 
to lie concealed in thofe paths through which ani- 
mals commonly pafs, in order to take them by 
furprize. For this purpofe, he crouches on his bellyj 
and continues in this pofture, with patient expec- 
tation, till his prey comes within a proper diftancej 
and then fpringing after it, fometimes fifteen or 
twenty feet at a bound, generally feizes it at the 
firft effort : if, however, he happens to mifs his 
aim, and, after two or three reiterated fprings, can- 
not lay hold of it, he continues motionlefs for a 
time, feems afFefted with his difappointment, and 
waits for a more favourable opportunity. In the 
defarts and forefts, his mofl ufual prey confifls of 
garelles and monkies, with which the torrid re- 
gions abound. The latter he feizes when they 
happen to be on the ground ; for he does not pofTefs 
the faculty of climbing trees, like the cat and the 
tiger. He devours as much at one time as fubfifts 
"him for the two or three fubfequent days; and his 
teeth are fo very ftrong, that he breaks the bones 
of the animals with eafe, and fwallows them toge- 
ther with their flefh. He feems capable of endur- 
ing hunger for a very long time ; but his tempera- 
ment being naturally hot, he is impatient of third, 
and drinks as often a? he can find water, lapping 
it like the dog. He feems to require about fifteen 
pounds of raw flefh daily; and prefers that of live 
animals, particularly thofe which he himfelf kills. 
!He feldom devours fuch carcafes as have begun 
£0 putrify ; and chufes rather to hunt for frefh prey, 
jthan to return to that which he had partly devour- 
ed before. However, though he generally fub- 
fifts on frefli meat, his breath is extremely rank, 
and the fmell of his urine intolerable. 
The roaring of the Lion is fo loud, that, by the 
echoes reverberated from the neighbouring moun- 
tains, it refembles diftant thunder. This tremen- 
dous roar is the ordinary voice of this animal. 
When enraged, he puts forth a different kind of 
growl, fhort, broken, and reiterated ; but this roar- 
ing is a prolonged cry, a kind of a deep-toned 
grumbling, mixed with a iharp vibrating noife : 
this voice he utters five or fix times in one day; 
and, before rain, oftener. When incenfed, his cry 
is ftill more terrible than his roar: this is always 
excited by oppofition; and on thofe occafions, 
when he fummons up all his terrors to the combat, 
nothing hardly can be more awful; he then laflies 
his fides and the ground with his long tail; agi- 
tates his mane ; contrafts the fkin of his face, there- 
by expofing his dreadful tufks; and thruftsout his 
tongue, which is armed with prickles fo very hard, 
that it is alone fufficient to lacerate both the flcin 
and flefh, without the afTiftance either of the teeth 
or claws. Thus prepared for war, but few ani- 
mals dare to attack liim ; and even the boldeftof the 
human race are intimidated at his approach. The 
elephant, the rhinoceros, the tiger, and the hip- 
popotamos, are the only animals which are not 
afraid of encountering him fingly. Neverthelefs, 
neither the leopard nor the wild boar, when pro- 
voked, fliun the combat : they do not indeed com- 
mit the firft outrage on the Lion ; yet they fly not 
at his approach, but wait his onfet, which he fel- 
dom makes unlefs compelled by hunger; and on 
fuch occafions thefe animals exert all their ftrengthj 
t\nd fom.etimes proves vi<51:ori9us, n 
LI O 
Hiftory informs us of an engagement between si 
Lion and a wild boar, in a meadow near Algiers, 
which lafted for a confiderable time with incredi- 
ble obftinacy: but at length, both animals were 
obferved to fall by the wounds infli£led on each 
other ; and the ground all around to be deluged 
with their blood. Such inftances, however, are 
very rare; for the Lion is in general the undifput- 
ed mafter of the foreft. Man is the only creature 
wiio attacks him with any certainty of fuccefs, bvthe 
affiftance of dogs and horfes trained to the purfuit: 
thole animals, which in a ftate of nature would 
have fled from the prefence of the Lion in an ago- 
ny of confternation, when confcious of the afTift- 
ance of man, become purfuers in their turn, and 
boldly hunt tlieir natural tyrant. Thole dogs which 
are trained to this exercii^ are always of the large 
breed; and the horfes themfelves, as Gefner aflTures 
us, muft be of that fort called Charofli, or Lion- 
eyed; all others of this kind flying at the fight of 
the Lion, and endeavouring to throw their riders. 
When the Lion is rouzed, he recedes with a 
flow, proud motion ; he moves always obliquely, 
going from fide to fide, and bounding rather than 
running. When the hunters approach him, they 
either fiioot, or throw their javelins; and in this 
manner difable him before he is attacked by the 
dogs, many of whom he would otherwife deilroy. 
Being extremely vivacious, he is therefore not 
eafily difpatched, but continues to fight defperate- 
ly even after he has received his mortal wound. 
He is alfo fometimes taken by means of a pit-fall: the 
natives dig a deep hole in the ground ; and cover- 
ing it flightly with fticks and earth, place fome 
enticement in his way, which frequently allures 
him to his deftruflion. Butthemoft ufual time and 
way of taking this animal is while he is yet a cub, 
and incapable of refiftance. The place near the den 
of the Lionefs is generally well known by the great- 
nefs of her depredations on that occafion : the na- 
tives therefore watch the time of her abfence; 
and, aided by fwift horfes, carry off her young, 
which they either fell to ftrangers, or to the great 
men of the country, for confiderable fums. 
The Lion, while young and aftive, fubfifts by 
hunting; and feldom quits the defarts or forefts, 
where he finds plenty of wild animals for his fup- 
port: but, when old and unfit for thepurpoies of 
furprize, he boldly defcends into more fiequented 
places, attacks the flocks and herds which take 
fhelter near the habitations of the fhepherds or huf- 
bandmen, and depends rather on his courage than 
addrefs for a fubfiftence. It is remarkable, how- 
ever, that when he makes one of thofe defperate 
fallies, if he finds men and quadrupeds in the fame 
field, he only attacks the latter, never molefting 
the human race unlefs provoked by them to the 
combat. It is alfo obferv^eable, that he prefers the 
flefh of camels to any other food. He is likewife faid 
to be very fond of that of young elephants: he often 
attacks thefe animals before their trunks have ac- 
quired their proper fize and confiftence; and, un- 
lefs the old ones arrive timely to their affiftance, 
they become an eafy prey. 
The Lion is terrible at all feafons, and on all 
occafions; but particularly when he is incited by 
defire, or when the femiale has brought forth : then 
the Lionefs is followed by feveral males, who fight 
together in the moil defperate manner; till one of 
them proving vicftorious over all the reft, retires in 
unmolefted poffefTion of his mate. The Lionefs 
is faid to bring forth but once a year, viz.. in the 
' Ipring. With relpecft, however^ to the times of 
geftation. 
