THE LION HOUSE AT THE ZOO 
75 
gave up the combat. The tigress got up, followed 
him, and bit him in the thigh. This made the tiger 
furious. He rushed at the other, and bit her through 
and through the neck, while the most fearful growls 
and screams came from both. This set a lion (Duke) 
and lioness fighting at the opposite end of the house, 
while the Frenchman, shouting and gesticulating, 
rushed up and down, and further excited the animals. 
Sutton quieted the lions, and then managed to drive 
the tiger off his victim. The moment he let go his 
hold the blood spouted from the tigress’s throat up 
to the roof, and she fell down apparently dying, 
while the tiger was driven into one of the sleeping 
compartments. The tigress was also moved into a 
room at the back. Buckland in his short account 
says, that “ though of course her nerves were consider- 
ably shaken, she was soon all right again.” As a matter 
of fact, she died ten days later, having been unable to 
swallow food during that time, and being dreadfully 
exhausted from her wounds. The strangest thing 
in connection with this encounter and Buckland’s 
note is, that his visit to see the wounded tigress was 
his own last day in the Lion House. He was 
anxious to do what he could for the creature, and 
volunteered a visit, though so ill himself that he had 
to be pushed into the passage between the dens 
and the outdoor runs in a bath-chair. But his nerves 
were so shaken by illness, that when the iron shutter 
was about to be opened which led into the tigress’s sick 
chamber, he begged that it might be kept closed ; and 
