Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/521

LION 515 to the animal ; the tail has a tuft at the end, which is absent in the tiger and the various spotted cats ; the usual color is tawny, with the mane dark, approaching to black ; in some the color is much lighter, and in others dark- African Lion. er, and there is considerable difference in the ampleness of the mane, but the color is always uniform and without spots; the females are destitute of mane. The average length of a full-grown lion is between 6 and 7 ft., exclu- sive of the tail, and the height at the shoulder nearly 3 ft. ; specimens are on record consid- erably larger than this. The chest and shoul- ders are broader and the neck thicker than in any others of the family, indicating great strength in the anterior extremities; it can carry off a good-sized heifer with ease, and can drag to a considerable distance an ox or a horse. The lioness is smaller than the lion, with more slender and graceful form, and is more agile in her movements and impetuous in her passions. The appearance of the lion when in confine- ment or unannoyed does not convey the idea of ferocity inspired by the tiger, and his wide Skeleton of the Lion. forehead, overhanging brows, and shaggy mane give him a majestic look which well entitles him to the appellation of " king of beasts ;" but when irritated, there is sufficient evidence that the passion and power of the feline race in him reach their greatest development. In ancient times lions were far more extensively distributed than at present. They abounded in S. E. Europe, and Herodotus relates that the camels which accompanied the army of Xerxes were attacked by lions while on the march through Macedonia. Pausanias also speaks of lions as inhabiting the mountains between Macedonia and Thessaly. From the Scriptures it is evident that lions were once common in Syria and Palestine, where they are no longer found ; and they have also dis- appeared from other parts of Asia which they formerly inhabited. Their abundance in an- cient times is shown by the fact that in 40 years 1,000 lions were killed at Rome in the amphitheatres, where sometimes 100 at a time were exhibited in the arena. The advance of population and civilization, and especially the general use of firearms, have caused their ex- termination in many countries, and are gradu- ally driving them into narrower limits. At the present day they are found only in Africa and in Arabia, Persia, India, and on the banks of the Euphrates. In Africa there are four varieties, the Numidian lion, or lion of Bar- bary, the lion of Senegal, and two varieties of the Cape lion or lion of south Africa. The Barbary lion is brown, and the male has a very thick mane. The Senegal lion is of a yellow hue with a thinner mane. Of the two varieties of the Cape lion, one is yellowish and the other brown, and it is said that some with black manes have been seen in that region. The lion prefers an open level country, such as affords pasture to the immense herds of ante- lopes, well watered, and with sufficient thicket to shelter him from the midday sun; a fa- vorite haunt is about some spring, where he can easily procure prey as they come to drink. When not pressed by hunger, the lion generally lies concealed during the day, feeding at early dawn and evening, but occasionally prowling during the whole night around the herds of wild animals, the flocks of the inhabitants, or the encampment of the traveller ; skulking from man in the daytime, at night he becomes bold, tearing a bullock or a horse from the enclosure, and sometimes dragging a human victim from the midst of a sleeping circle around a watch fire ; his most frequent prey, however, are the various kinds of antelopes, zebras, gnus, giraffes, and wild cattle; the horse is believed to be especially relished by the lion. The breeding place is generally in some deep cover, which is carefully guarded by both parents; gestation is about 110 days, and from two to four young are produced at a time, born with eyes open, but helpless for some weeks; the female is exceedingly ferocious when taking care of her young. Several lions have been born in menageries both in Europe and America, some of which have been raised, though most die at the shedding of the milk teeth, if not in the first few weeks of life, from the neglect of the mother or her inability to supply proper nourishment; the whelps have