250 
THE LION. 
months; and at the age of eighteen months 
they begin to roar. The lioness becomes very 
savage when she has cubs, attacking with 
the greatest fury every creature that ap¬ 
proaches her retreat. She is said to retain 
the same disposition in captivity; but one 
which I saw was as gentle as an old cat, 
—though she evidently preferred that her 
darlings should not be meddled with. She 
made no resistance when the keeper took 
one out and gave it to me to hold, though 
she watched my movements with great 
solicitude, rubbing her great head coaxingly 
against his hand and seeming much relieved 
when she had it safely back. It was as 
large as a good fat Newfoundland puppy; 
and I shall never forget the soft, warm feel¬ 
ing of its coat against my bare arms. I 
was a very little girl then; and I thought I 
should like to keep it for a pet.” 
“Is there more than one variety of lions 
in Africa?” asked Annie. 
“The colonists reckon two, the yellow 
and the brown, one of which is much darker 
than the other; and there seems to be a 
black-maned variety, which is the most for¬ 
midable of all. There has certainly been a 
