WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 
quantity of food, until the courage and temper of the 
animals become perfectly African. The natural instincts 
and power being thus developed, the animals are far more 
healthy and vigorous than the fat, well-fed, lazy, sleepy 
occupants of the dens in the London Zoological Gardens. 
The travelling showman is delighted, upon arriving at a 
quiet country town or village, to startle the inhabitants 
by the loud, angry and hungry roaring of his lions, which 
has far greater influence and service as an advertisement 
than the best band of music ; in fact, the roaring of the 
lions, when they thunder forth, is called the menagerie 
music, and the band that accompanies the caravan is 
looked upon as quite of secondary importance. The more 
aristocratic lions in the Regent’s Park are too well behaved 
to disturb the peace of that highly respectable locality, 
and therefore are seldom heard to give vent to their feel- 
ings in the same manner as their plebeian brothers. 
The proprietor of a well-known travelling menagerie 
stated that, on one occasion, the largest male lion in his 
collection escaped, during the night, through a hole he 
made in the bottom of his den. He went prowling about 
in the dark, and first came upon a man whose duty was 
that of watchman. This individual was quietly napping 
on a bundle of hay in a corner of the booth, and was made 
conscious of the proximity of danger by the lion sniffing 
and smelling at his mouth, so fearfully close, that the 
watchman could distinctly feel the hot breath of the lion 
on his face. With great self-command and wonderful 
presence oLmind he remained perfectly motionless during 
this trying moment, the fear of death so close at hand 
causing his breath almost to cease, as had he moved or 
startled he would have, in all probability, lost his life. 
He was, however, relieved at hearing his unwelcome mid- 
night visitor slowly walk away and make off in the 
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