CHAPTER IX 
THE LION {feus LEo) 
I HAVE left this grand example of the genus Felis to 
conclude the species, as the tiger is so closely 
associated with the elephant that I was forced to 
accord it a place in direct sequence. 
In the early days of the world’s history the lion 
occupied a very extensive area ; it was common in 
Mesopotamia, and in Syria, in Persia, and through¬ 
out the whole of India. It is now confined to a 
limited number in Guzerat, and a few in Persia. 
Beyond these localities it has ceased to exist in Asia. 
There can be little doubt that, unless specially 
protected, it will become extinct in Asia within the 
next hundred years. 
Africa is the only portion of the globe where the 
lion remains lord of the forest, as the king of 
beasts. The question has frequently been discussed, 
“Why should the lion have vanished from the scene 
where in ancient days he reigned in all his glory } ” 
The answer is simple, the lions have been ex¬ 
terminated. 
There is a nobility in the character of a lion 
