THE LION. 
117 
TONGUE OF LION. 
creatures, is familiar with the dry roughness of pussy’s tongue, as she licks the hand of her 
human friend. This peculiarity of formation is the more conspicuous because it presents so 
great a contrast with the wet, smooth tongue of the dog ; and, as a general rule, men are more 
accustomed to the lingual caresses of the dog than of the cat. The cause of the strangely dry 
tongue of the Felidae is at once seen by reference to the tongue of a lion or tiger, or by apply- 
ing a magnifying glass to the tongue of a domestic cat. 
The entire surface of the tongue is covered with innumerable conical projections, which 
are so curved that their points lie towards the throat. On the central line of the tongue these 
projections are larger than at the side. Their chief, if not their only use, is to aid the cat in 
stripping the flesh from the bones of the animals which it has killed, and so to prevent the 
least avoidable waste of nutriment. Truly, in 
nature the economical system reigns supreme, and 
waste is an impossibility. 
So strongly made are these armatures, that 
the constant licking of a cat’ s tongue will remove 
the living tissues from a delicate skin, while the 
tongue of the Lion can rapidly cause the outflow 
of blood. There is a well-authenticated anec- 
dote of a tame Lion cub and its owner, which 
exhibits strongly the rasping power of the feline 
tongue. 
Of the magnificent and noble creatures called 
Lions, several species are reported to exist, 
although it is thought by many experienced 
judges that there is really but one species of 
Lion, which is modified into permanent varieties according to the country in which it lives. 
The best known of these species or varieties is the South African Lion, of wdiom so 
many anecdotes have been narrated. This noble animal is found in nearly all parts of Southern 
Africa, where the foot of civilized man has not stayed its wanderings. Before the tread of the 
white man, the Lion shrinks unwillingly, haunting each advanced post for a time, but driven 
surely and slowly backward as the human intellect gains opportunity for manifesting its 
supremacy over the lower animals. So entirely does man sweep the wild beasts from his 
presence, that even in the Cape colony, a living Lion is just as great a rarity as in England, 
and there are very few of the colonists who have ever beheld a living Lion except when 
pent in a cage. 
The color of the Lion is a tawny yellow, lighter on the under parts of the body, and darker 
above. The ears are blackish, and the tip of the tail is decorated with a tuft of black hair. 
This tuft serves to distinguish the Lion from any other member of the cat tribe. The male 
Lion, when full grown, is furnished with a thick and shaggy mane of very long hair, which 
falls from the neck, shoulders, and part of the throat and chin, varying in tint according to 
the age of the animal, and possibly according to the locality which it inhabits. The Lioness 
possesses no mane, and even in the male Lion it is not properly developed until the animal 
has completed his third year. 
When fully grown, the male Lion measures some four feet in height at the shoulder, and 
about eleven feet in total length. These measurements are only applicable to the noble animals 
which have passed their lives in the free air of their native land, and have attained their 
majority with limbs unshackled and spirits unbroken. 
The Lioness is a smaller animal than her mate, and the difference of size appears to be 
much greater than really is the case, because she is devoid of the thick mane which gives such 
grandeur and dignity to her spouse. Although smaller in size, she is quite as terrible in com- 
bat ; and, indeed, the Lioness is oft-times a foe much more to be dreaded than the Lion. When 
she has a little family to look after, Lesena is a truly fearful enemy to those who cross her 
path, assuming at once the offensive, and charging the intruders with a fierce courage that 
knows no fear and heeds no repulse. 
