9 
under the action of which, with other conditions, they are apt 
to vary more or less, the lion of different parts differs much 
in appearance, chiefly in color and thickness of mane. These 
differences were formerly held to constitute distinct species, 
but as the variations are indefinite and do not involve the 
slightest change of structure, they are now looked on as 
being of no specific importance. 
“ Pompey ” and “Minnie,” the pair of full-grown lions 
now in the Garden, are fine specimens of the African race in 
the prime of life, with all its characters fully developed. 
T.HE TIGER. 
The Tiger (Felis tigris ), among the Carnivora, is the sole 
rival of the lion, in strength and ferocity. Its range is much 
more restricted, as it is never found outside of Asia, where its 
principal home is in Hindostan and the adjacent islands, 
though it is sparingly found toward Siberia on the north, and 
China on the north-east. It is very common in the marshy, 
wooded tract known as the Soonderbund, formed by the ex¬ 
tensive delta of the Ganges and Brahmapootra rivers. 
