38 
THE LION. 
twenty or thirty years, and Gerard, on the authority 
of the Arabs, at from thirty to forty; but unless its 
days be cut short by accident, its existence is much 
more prolonged than the above authorities imagine. 
Even when in confinement, it has attained to a 
most venerable age. The famous lion, Pompey, 
which died in the Tower of London in 1760, was 
known to have been there above seventy years; 
and one brought from the river Gambia, and which 
also died in that fortress not many years ago, had 
attained to the venerable age of sixty-three. 
It is asserted that when a lion finds himself dis¬ 
abled, and unable to attack his pursuers, he will 
not unfrequently turn his ire upon himself and 
mutilate his own body. 
Delegorgue’s remarks on this subject are both 
curious and interesting ; he says :— 
“ Certain animals, when they have been mortally 
wounded, evince a weakness resulting either from 
their inadequate means of defence, or from the mild¬ 
ness of their disposition. Some utter plaintive cries, 
the like of which are never heard except at this critical 
moment. Others shed tears. The elam (Boselaphus 
Orea's ), especially, patiently awaits the chasseur, 
whom it seems to implore instead of opposing to 
him its formidable horns. Others again simply 
resign themselves to their fate without showing any 
signs either of courage or of weakness. 
The lion differs from all these. ... If the vital 
parts of its body be pierced, so that it is unable 
to leave the spot, and its enemies keep at a dis¬ 
tance, it abandons itself to despair, and its teeth and 
