CHAPTER XX 
The Lion and Other Beasts of Prey 
T he Cat Family. —There are interesting animals which are 
well known both in the wild and tame state and which we 
speak of as Beasts of Prey, because they feed on living things, 
which they are able to capture by their own great strength and cun¬ 
ning. Another name for this group is Carnivora or Flesh Eaters. 
Among these are placed the animals belonging to the Cat Tribe , 
which includes the lion, the leopard, and many others of lesser size. 
Other families of the beast of prey including dogs, hyenas, and wolves, 
will be considered in succeeding chapters. 
The Lion.— The most important member of this family from 
Mr. Roosevelt’s point of view, and indeed from that of all hunters in 
African Wilds, is the lion. 
This much-sought beast is a native of Africa and Southwestern 
Asia, but in both continents is being driven back by the advance of 
civilization. The lion is distinguished from all other cats by the pre¬ 
sence of a large, thick mane in the adult male. A full-grown animal 
will measure rather more than eight feet from the nose to the end of 
the tail, which counts for nearly half, and is furnished at the end with 
a tuft of hair, in the center of which is a small horny prickle the use 
of which is unknown. The lion certainly does not employ it, as was 
once thought, to excite himself to fury by pricking his sides with it 
when he lashes his tail. The lioness is smaller than her mate and 
without a mane. She bears from two to four cubs at a litter, which 
native hunters often steal to sell to the dealers in wild beasts who 
supply the menageries, for the capture of a full-grown lion is rarely 
effected. The sire and dam both watch over their young, and train 
them to hunt prey. Thus young lions are more destructive than old 
ones; the former kill for the sake of killing, the latter only to satisfy 
hunger and provide for'their mates and her cubs, 
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