THE LION—THE KING OF BEASTS.
The Lion has been called the “King of Beasts” from most ancient times, and this is a very appropriate title, if we consider the impression we usually have of this animal when viewed for the first time. He carries his head high and walks with a slowness which may well pass for majesty. He always appears calm and dignified and conscious of his strength. The bushy and magnificent mane which overshadows his head and neck gives an added grandeur to his appearance.
Some adult Lions have attained a length of nearly ten feet, from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail; but usually they do not exceed six or seven feet. With the exception of the mane and a tuft of hair at the tip of the tail, the coat of the Lion is entirely smooth, and of a tawny color. The mane, which gives this great “King of the Beasts” such a lordly appearance, is missing in his mate, who has a smooth neck and a smaller head, and is generally in proportion about one-fourth as large. The mother Lion is at her fiercest when her little ones are threatened with danger; at other times she shows very little of the Lion nature except when pressed by hunger.
The Lion has also been called the “Lord of the Forest,” but this is not an appropriate title, as he does not prefer the forest for a home. He lives in desert arid plains, lightly covered with shrubby vegetation or tracts of low brushwood. In India he prowls along the borders of rivers, and makes his lair in the jungles.
The Lion slumbers during the day in his retreat, and as night comes on he prowls abroad in search of prey. This is not because his eyes are unfitted to see in the daytime—like those of the majority of “night prowlers”—but he seems to think it prudent to keep at home until evening. When the first shadows of twilight appear, he enters upon his campaign. If there is a pool in the vicinity of his haunt, he places himself in ambush on the edge of it, with the hope of securing a victim among the Antelopes, Gazelles, Giraffes, Zebras, Buffaloes, &c., which are led thither to slake their thirst. These animals, well aware of this habit of their enemy, will not approach a pond without extreme caution. If one, however, places itself within reach of their terrible foe, its fate is generally sealed. One enormous bound enables the Lion to spring on its back, and one blow with his paw breaks its back. If the Lion misses his aim, he does not endeavor to continue a useless pursuit, well knowing that he cannot compete in speed with the children of the plains. He therefore skulks back into his hiding-place, to lie in ambush until some more fortunate chance presents itself, or complete night-fall shuts out all hope of success.
The Lion, however, is not disposed to remain long with an empty stomach. Then it is that he approaches Man’s habitations, with the hope of surprising the domestic animals. Fences ten feet in height form no obstacle to him, for he will bound over such with ease, when, falling into the midst of the herd, he seizes the nearest.
The amount of strength which he manifests under circumstances similar to these is really extraordinary. A Lion has been known, at the Cape of Good Hope, to carry off a small Cow as a Cat would a Mouse, and, with the burden, leap a wide ditch. It is almost impossible to conceive the muscular force necessary to jump a fence several feet high when carrying a load of several hundred-weight.
The audacity of the Lion increases in proportion to his requirement. When he has exhausted all means of procuring subsistence, and when he can no longer put off the cravings of hunger, he sets no limit to his aggressions, and will brave every danger rather than perish by famine. In open day he will then proceed to where the herds of Oxen and Sheep pasture, entirely disregarding Shepherds and Dogs. At such times he has been known to carry his rashness so far as to attack a drove of Buffaloes—an action which is all the bolder as a single one, unless it is taken by surprise, is well able to defend itself.
The Lion seems to delight in the tempests of wind and rain, so common in Southern Africa; his voice mingles with the thunder, and adds to the terror of the timid animals, on whom he then boldly advances. He usually, however, waits in ambush, or creeps insidiously towards his victim, which with a bound and a rush he dashes to the earth.
“In South Africa,” says Capt. Burton, “the Lion is seldom seen, unless surprised asleep in his lair of thicket; during my journey I saw but one, although at times his roaring was heard at night. Except in darkness or during violent storms, which excite the fiercer Carnivora, he is a timid animal, much less feared by the people than the angry and agile Leopard. When encountered in the daytime, he stands a second or two gazing; then turns slowly round and walks as slowly away for a dozen paces, looking over his shoulder; he then begins to trot, and when he thinks himself out of sight bounds like a Greyhound.”