8 
THE LION. 
also exhibit a modification of structure not present in other 
felines, by which he has the power to utter his tremendous roar, 
— a roar which, when sent forth under the excitement of hunger, 
scares from their hiding places the timid ruminants which may 
be lurking within the compass of its fearful reverberations. The 
lion, which traverses the parched deserts of Africa, and lies in 
wait to intercept the Antelopes which bound in troops from one 
oasis to another, would be rendered too conspicuous if his tawny 
hide were ornamented by the stripes or spots that characterize 
the feline livery ; these, therefore, which are obvious enough in 
the earlier periods of his existence, become obliterated as he 
^attains to maturity. 
The form of the lion is strikingly bold and majestic; his large 
and shaggy mane, which he can elevate at will, surrounding his 
awful front; his huge eye-brows and large and fiery eye-balls, 
which seem to glow with peculiar lustre, together with the 
formidable appearance of his teeth, exhibit a picture at once 
terrific and grand, and which no words can adequately describe. 
The length of the largest lion is between eight and nine feet, 
the tail about four, and its height about four feet and a half. 
The female is smaller and without the mane. The lion seldom 
attacks any animal openly, except when compelled by hunger — 
in that case no danger will deter him ; but as most animals en- 
deavor to avoid him, he is obliged to have recourse to artifice, 
and take his prey by surprise. F or this purpose he crouches on 
his belly in a thicket, where he waits till his prey approaches ; 
and then, with a spring, he leaps upon it at a distance of fifteen 
or twenty feet, and generally seizes at the first bound. However, 
if he misses his object, he relinquishes the pursuit ; and turning 
back towards the place of his ambush, he measures the ground, 
step by step, and again abides his time for another opportunity. 
The lurking place of the lion is generally near a spring of water, 
or by the side of a stream, where he frequently has an oppor- 
tunity of catching such animals as may come to slake their 
thirst. The lion is a long lived animal, although naturalists 
have widely differed as to the precise period of its existence. 
BufFon limits it to twenty-two years ; but this is evidently er- 
roneous, as it has been known to live beyond that age. The 
