LIONS. 
285 
indignitie of their malapert saucinesse into a fit of madnesse, 
and then, so soon as he hath tasted their bloud, he is perfectly 
wel againe ; and this is the only help.’ 
“ To be licked by the tongue of a dog is a mark of affection ; 
but such a demonstration from a lion would be productive of 
unpleasant consequences. The tongues of the lion and tiger 
tribes are covered with a thicket of strong horny papillae, the 
points directed backward, fitting it rather for sweeping off frag- 
ments of meat from bones, for which it is especially employed, 
than for gustatory enjoyment or expression of endearment. The 
sense of taste is very low in all the felinse, of which an example 
is presented in that favourite amusement of cats, called ‘dressing 
their fur.’ When changing their coats the hairs are swept off 
in hundreds by the rough tongue without causing the slightest 
annoyance, whereas the presence of even a single hair in the 
human mouth is notoriously unpleasant — simply from the 
greater perfection of the nervous influence. 
“The younger Pliny, whose work on natural history is full 
of information mixed up with the quaintest stories, remarks, that 
the test of a lion’s temper is his tail. ‘ At first,’ says this 
writer ‘ when he entreth into his choler, he beateth the ground 
with his taile; when he groweth into greater heats he flappeth 
and jerketh his flanks and sides withall, as it were to quicken 
himselfe, and stir up his angry humour.’ Pliny, however, does 
not appear to have been aware of the existence of a peculiarity 
in the lion’s tail, which was known to Didymus Alexandrinus, 
was subsequently denied, and re-discovered by Mr. Bennett in 
1832. This is a claw at the tip of the tail, which, although not 
always present, undoubtedly exists in the majority of lions. 
Whether it has any effect in raising the 'choler’ of the lion it 
is difficult to say, but the ancient Assyrians were well acquainted 
with this claw, as is proved by the sculptures on the Nineveh 
marbles, where it is distinctly represented.” 
“ The instinct which renders the protection of the young 
paramount to every other consideration is strongly evinced in 
the lion tribe, and of this an interesting example is narrated by 
Mr. Cumming. One day, when out elephant-hunting, accom- 
panied by two hundred and fifty men, he was astonished 
suddenly to behold a majestic lion slowly and steadily advancing 
towards the party with a dignified step and undaunted bearing, 
the most noble and imposing that can be conceived ; lashing his 
tail from side to side and growling haughtily, his eyes glaring, 
and his teeth displayed, as he approached ; the two hundred 
and fifty valiant men immediately took to their heels in head- 
long flight, and, in the confusion, four couples of dogs which 
they had been leading for the sportsman were allowed to escape 
