Felid-e. MAMMALIA. Felid.®. 
step only, as if he had a mind to steal off; but as soon 
as he got to a greater distance, he began to bound 
away at a great rate.” Here, at all events, our lion 
did not exhibit much courage or bravery; and, as 
another instance of cowardice on the part of this so- 
called noble animal, we quote the statements of Captain 
Harris, who remarks that, early one rainy morning, 
when he and his companions were peeping out of their 
canvas-covered waggon, in order to ascertain if there 
was any prospect of its clearing up, they “ perceived 
three lions squatted within a hundred yards, in the 
open plain, attentively watching the oxen. Our rifles,” 
he adds, “were hastily seized, but the dampness of 
the atmosphere prevented their explosion. One after 
another, too, the Hottentots sprang out of the pack 
waggon, and snapped their guns at the unwelcome 
intruders as they trotted sulkily away, and took up 
their position on a stony eminence at no great distance. 
Fresh caps and priming were applied, and a broadside 
was followed by the instantaneous demise of the largest, 
whose cranium was perforated by two bullets at the 
same instant. Swinging their tails over their backs, 
the survivors took warning by the fate of their com- 
panion, and dashed into the thicket with a roar. In 
another half hour the voice of Leo was again heard at 
the foot of the mountains, a.hout a quarter of a mile 
from the camp; and from the waggon-top we could 
perceive a savage monster rampant, with his tail hoisted 
and whirling in a circle, charging furiously along the 
base of the range, and in desperate wrath making 
towards John Apill, who was tending the sheep. Every 
one instinctively grasped his weapon and rushed to 
the rescue, calling loudly to warn the expected victim 
of his danger. Without taking the smallest notice of 
him, however, the infuriated monster dashed past, 
roaring and lashing his sides, until concealed in the 
mist.” So much for the lion’s courage. Another false 
appellation by which he is known, is that of the dignified 
title of “ monarch of the forest;” but, as Mr. Burchell 
remarks, this name is not very applicable, seeing that 
he is seldom seen except amongst low thickets and 
brushwood, or in the open plains. Captain Harris, 
who employs the misnomer without comment, is very 
careful to tell us, that the fine specimens seen in our 
menageries are, as it were, “ but the shadow of that 
animal which clears the desert with his rolling eye.” 
No doubt our semi-domesticated examples lose some- 
thing of that lustre of the eye, and breadth of limb, 
which characterize the wild and unfettered beast; 
nevertheless, our conceptions of a lion’s strength are 
perhaps as accurately realized by an examination and 
dissection of such examples as are brought over, or even 
bred in this country, as by the description and poetical 
language above adopted. In the sad story given by 
Mr. Gordon Gumming, of the seizure and death of a 
Hottentot named Hendrick, the lion’s attack was of 
the most cowardly character. “ It appeared that when 
the unfortunate Hendrick rose to drive in the ox, the 
lion had watched him to his fireside; and he had 
scarcely lain down when the brute sprang upon him 
and Ruyter (for both lay under one blanket) with his 
appalling murderous roar, and, roaring as he lay, 
grappled him with his fearful claws, and kept biting 
VoL. I. 1 6 
121 
him on the breast and shoulder, all the while feeling 
for his neck; having got hold of which, he at once 
dragged him away backwards round the bush into the 
dense shade. As the lion lay on the unfortunate man, 
he faintly cried — ‘Help me, help me, 0 God! men, 
help me !’ after which the fearful beast got hold of his 
neck, and then all was still, except that his comrades 
heard the bones of his neck cracking between the teeth 
of the lion.” With regard to the death-dealing strength 
of the lion’s paw, Mr. Burchell relates the following 
incident : — While he and his friends were out hunting, 
they sprung a lion and lioness. The latter soon dis- 
appeared, but the former made a slight advance, as if 
to show fight. “ At this instant the dogs boldly flew 
in between us and the lion, and, surrounding him, kept 
him at bay by their violent and resolute barking. The 
courage of those faithful animals was most admirable. 
They advanced up to the side of the huge beast, and 
stood making the greatest clamour in his face, without 
the least appearance of fear. The lion, conscious of 
his strength, remained unmoved at their noisy attempts, 
and kept his head turned towards us. At one moment 
the dogs, perceiving his eye thus engaged, had advanced 
close to his feet, and seemed as if they would actually 
seize hold of him ; but they paid dearly for their 
imprudence : for, without discomposing the majestic 
and steady attitude in which he stood fixed, he merely 
moved his paw, and at the next instant I beheld two 
lying dead. In doing this he made so little exertion, 
that it was scarcely perceptible by what means they 
had been killed. Of the time which we gained by the 
interference of the dogs, not a moment was lost. We 
fired upon him ; one of the halls went through his side, 
just between the short ribs, and the hlood began to 
flow ; but the animal still remained standing in the 
same position. We had now no doubt that he would 
spring upon us. Every gun was instantly reloaded ; 
but happily we were mistaken, and were not sorry to 
see him move quietly away, though I had hoped in a 
few minutes to have been enabled to take hold of his 
paw without danger.” 
As to the destructive habits of the lion, Mr. Anders- 
son tells us of one powerful beast slain by Messrs. 
Gallon and Bam, which only a short time previous had 
killed upwards of fifty oxen, cows, and horses ! In its 
stomach, when shot, was a small dog bitten into five 
pieces, the little animal having incautiously approached 
the lion during the hunt. Many other interesting 
details regarding the habits of the lion are given by this 
most successful hunter. On one occasion Mr. Auders- 
son had a marvellously lucky escape. When eating 
his dinner, a number of native damaras and mamaques 
came to tell him that an ongeama, as they call it, had 
destroyed one of their goats, and that they hoped he 
would help them to kill it. He consented. The lion 
had taken refuge in a dense tamarisk brake, and Mr. 
Andersson says: — “I had proceeded for some time, 
when suddenly, and within a few paces of where I 
stood, I heard a low, angry growl, which caused the 
dogs, with hair erect in the manner of hogs’ bristle, 
and with their tails between their legs, to slink behind 
my heels. Immediately afterwards a tremendous shout 
of “ongeama! ongeama!” was raised by the natives 
