THE LIVING WORLD. 
649 
tensile, is frequently curled up into a coil. In captivity, at least, its habits 
are slothful, although it is qualified for the most rapid and daring feats of 
climbing. 
The Java Linsang, or Musang (. Paradoxurus fasciatus ), though useful in 
destroying vermin, is unfortunately fond of the coffee plant, and has been 
known to descend to the robbing of poultry yards. 
The Hemigale, or Half-weasel ( Hemigalea hardwickii), is grayish-brown, 
relieved by six or seven saddles of dark-brown. Its nose is black, and a black 
line extends from it, on each side of the face to the ear, and also encircles the 
eyes. 
The Foussa ( Cryptoprocta ferox ) has Madagascar for its habitat. It is 
light-brown, inclining to red in its color, has large, round ears and stout claws. 
It looks gentle and inoffensive, but in this case at least appearances are deceitful, 
for it is alike ferocious and dangerous. Its whole life is but a thirst for blood. 
CARNIVORA.—LIONS, TIGERS, ETC. 
The Lion [Felis led) has suffered alike from undue exaltation as the king of 
beasts, and from the ebb that always follows the tidal wave. It would seem 
to depend very much upon the temperament and the mood of the individual lion 
whether he is to be regarded as worthy of sovereignty, or whether, as frequently 
happens in monarchies, he is simply the lineal successor of more worthy 
ancestors. It will be seen from the illustrative anecdotes in The Living World, 
that travellers have had various experiences, so that there is sufficient authority 
for our preserving the traditions of our youth, or for our rising superior to these, 
and regarding them as the merest nursery tales. 
The South African Lion [Leo capensis ) will naturally receive the most 
attention, since India has become part of the British Empire, and travellers are 
directing their footsteps towards the “ Dark Continent.” In color it is tawny- 
yellow, growing lighter on the under parts. The ears and tip of the tail are 
hlack, and the male possesses a mane. The lion when full-sized stands about 
four feet in height and is ten or eleven feet in length. The lioness is smaller 
in size, but fiercer in disposition. With the multiplication of museums and 
zoological gardens, this product of African soil has become familiar to the average 
person, so that our readers will doubtless have sufficient opportunity for examin¬ 
ing the animal from the standpoint of the naturalist. 
There are reasons why the accessibility of the lion in zoological gardens 
does not furnish the means for personal examination, inasmuch as the lion 
itself is too uninterested in the progress of science to co-operate with the stu¬ 
dent. Hence, although the lion’s tongue is well worth examining, it is safe 
to say that most of us will be satisfied to take the word of African travellers. 
The tongue of the lion, even more than that of the cat, is covered with num¬ 
berless minute cone-like papillae, so curved as to lie with the points towards 
the throat. These serve to strip the flesh from animals, while the tongue of 
a dog is entirely smooth, since it is not used for any such purpose. So, too, 
the claws of the lion, and of the cat family in general, are retractile, and when 
not in use are withdrawn within the padding of the foot; when needed, the 
tendons above relax and those below contract. The lion does not grind its 
food, but tears it into strips, and then swallows the pieces, which are mace¬ 
rated in the stomach. 
