THE LION. The influence of climate upon mankind is very small; (g) he is found to subsist in all parts of the earth, as well under the frozen poles, as beneath the torrid zone: but in animals, the climate may be considered as congenial, and a kind of second nature. They almost all have their particular latitudes, beyond which they are unable to subsist; either perishing with a moderate cold, or dying for want of a frozen air, even in a temperate climate. The rein-deer is never seen to depart from the icy fields of the north; and, on the contrary, the lion degenerates when taken from beneath the line. The whole earth is the native country of man; but all inferior animals have each their own peculiar districts. Most terrestrial animals are found larger, fiercer, and stronger in the warmer than in the cold or temperate climates. They are also more courageous and enterprising all their dispositions seeming to partake of the ardour of their native soil. The lion, produced under the burning sun of Africa, is of all others the most terrible, the most undaunted. The wolf or the dog, instead of attempting to rival him, scarce deserve to attend his motions, or become his providers. Such, however, of these animals as are bred in a more temperate climate, or towards the tops of cold and lofty mountains, are far more gentle, or, to speak ite. The animal was a female, quite white, and perfectly deaf. She produced, at various times, many litters of kittens, of which generally, some were quite white, others more or less mottled, tabby, &c. But the extraordinary circumstance is, that of the offspring produced at one and the same birth, such as, like the mother, were entirely white, were, like her, invariably deaf; while those that had the least speck of colour on their fur, as invariably possessed the usual faculty of hearing.-ARCANA OF SCIENCE, 1829. PECULIARITY IN THE DOMESTIC CAT.-A remarkable one is the property of which its fur possesses of yielding electric sparks by rubbing. In frosty weather this is occasionally very extraordinary. Mr. White says, speaking of the frost of 1785, "During these two Siberian days, my parlour cat was so electric, that had a person stroked her, and been properly insulated, the shock might have been given to a whole circle of people." VULGAR ERROR.-It is a very prevalent notion that cats are so fond of sucking the breath of infants, and consequently of producing disease and death. Upon the slightest reflection, nothing can be more obvious than that it is impossible for a cat to suck an in fant's breath, at least so as to do it any injury; for even on the supposition that they did so, the construction of their mouth must preclude them from interrupting the process of breathing by the mouth and the nose at the same time. The vulgar notion must have arisen from cats nestling about infants in beds and cradles, to procure warmth. Cats, as Goldsmith has remarked in the text, are particnlarly solicitous to be comfortably placed as to temperature.-In winter they get before the fire to sleep; in summer they seek the shade of a tree, where the air is cool and refreshing. ED. NEW SPECIES OF CAT.-A Naturalist in this country was lately informed by Professor Kretschmen of Frankfort, that he was in expectation of receiving from Nubia the skin and jaws of a new species of cat, larger than the lion, of a brownish colour, and without a mane. The invoice of the articles from Cairo was already received, but the objects themselves had not arrived. This will probably prove to be the maneless lion of the ancients, known to them by their acquaintance with Upper Egypt: and not unfrequently observed in the hieroglyphic sculptures of that country. (g) This description is principally taken from Mr. Buffon: such parts as are added from others, I have marked with commas. more properly, far less dangerous than those bred in the torrid valleys beneath. The lions of Mount Atlas, the tops of which are covered in eternal snows, have neither the strength nor the ferocity of the lions of Bildulgerid or Zaara, where the plains are covered with burning sands. It is particularly in these frightful deserts, that those enormous and terrible beasts are found, that seem to be the Scourge and the terror of the neighbouring kingdoms. Happily, indeed, the species is not very numerous; and it seems to be diminishing daily; for those who have travelled through these countries assure us, that there are by no means so many there at present as were known formerly; and Mr. Shaw observes, that the Romans carried fifty times as many lions from Lybia, in one year, to combat in their amphitheatres, as are to be found in the whole country at this time. The same remark is made with regard to Turkey, to Persia, and the Indies; where the lions are found to diminish in their numbers every day. Nor is it difficult to assign the cause of this diminution: it is obvious that it cannot be owing to the increase of the force of other quadrupeds, since they are all inferior to the lion, and, consequently, instead of lessening the number, only tend to increase the supplies on which they subsist; it must, therefore, be occasioned by the increase of mankind, who is the only animal in nature capable of making head against these tyrants of the forest, and preventing their increase. The arms even of a Hottentot or a negro make them more than a match for this powerful creature; and they seldom make the attack, without coming off victorions. Their usual manner is to find out his retreat, and, with spears headed with iron, to provoke him to the combat: four men are considered as sufficient for this encounter; and he against whom the lion flies, receives him upon his spear, while the others attack him behind; the lion, finding himself wounded in the rear, turns that way, and thus gives the man he first attacked an opportunity to recover. In this manner they attack him on all sides; until at last they en * COURAGE OF THE LION.-Whatever may be the extraordinary physical strength of the lion, his courage is not great. The natural habits of the animal are those of treachery; the lion is not disposed, under any circumstances to meet its prey face to face; and he is particularly unwilling to encounter man when he crosses him in the full blaze of day. The inability of his eyes (in common with those of the cat tribe) to bear a strong light, will probably account in a great degree for the circumstance, which has probably brought upon him much of the reproach of being a skulking, cowardly animal. But we appre hend that there were periods in the history of African colonization, when the lion was of a bolder nature in his encounters with mankind; that the dread of fire-arms has become, in some degree, a habit of the species; and that has sagacity, or hereditary instinct, to know that a flash and a loud sound is often followed by a speedy death or a grievous injury. LION HUNT IN AFRICA.-We here give an account of a lion hunt on the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony, furnished by one of the most pleasing writers of the day; and we should deprive his account of its interest, if we attempted to give it in any other than his own words. "One night a lion, that had previously purloined a few sheep out of my kraal, came down and killed my riding horse, about a hundred yards from the door of my cabin. Knowing that the lion, when he does not carry off his prey, usually conceals himself in the vicinity, and is very apt to be dangerous by prowling about the place in search of more game, I resolved to have him destroyed or dislodged without delay. I, therefore, sent a messenger round the location, to invite all who were willing to assist in the enterprise, to repair to the place of rendezvous as speedily as possible. In an hour every man of the party (with the exception of two pluckless fellows, who were kept at home by the women) appeared ready mounted and armed. We were also reinforced by about a dozen of the Bastaard,' or Mulatto Hottentots, who resided at that time upon our territory as tenants or herdsmen; an active and enterprising, though rather an unsteady race of men. Our friends, the Tarka boors, many of whom are excellent lion hunters, were all too far distant to assist us, our nearest neighbours residing at least twenty miles from the location. We were, therefore, on account of our own inexperience, obliged to make our Hottentots the leaders of the chase. The first point was to track the lion to his covert. This was effected by a few Hottentots on foot. Commencing from the spot where the horse was killed, they followed the spoor (footmark) through the grass and gravel and brushwood, with astonishing ease and dexterity, where an inexperienced eye could discern neither foot print nor mark of any kind, until, at length, we fairly tracked him into a large bosch, or tirely disable, and then dispatch him. This superiority in the numbers, and the arts of man, they are sufficient to conquer the lion, serve also to enervate and straggling thicket of brushwood and evergreens, about a mile distant. "The next object was to drive him out of this retreat, in order to attack him in close phalanx, and with more safety and effect. The approved mode in such cases is to torment him with dogs till he abandons his covert, and stands at bay in the open plain. The whole band of hunters then march for ward together, and fire deliberately, one by one. If he does not speedily fall, but grows angry and turns upon his enemies, they must then stand close in a circle, and turn their horses' rear outward; some holding them fast by the bridles, while the others kneel to take a steady aim at the lion as he approaches, sometimes up to the very horses' heelscrouching every now and then, as if to measure the distance and strength of his enemies. This is the moment to shoot him in the forehead. If they continue to wound him inef. fectually, till he waxes furious and desperate, or if the horses, startled by his terrific roar, grow frantic with terror and burst loose, the business becomes rather serious. "In the present instance, we did not manage matters quite so scientifically. The Bastaards, after recounting to us all these and other sage laws of lion-hunting, were themselves the first to depart from them. Finding the few indifferent hounds we had made little impression on the enemy, they divided them selves into two or three parties, and rode round the jungle, firing into the spot where the dogs were barking round him, but without effect. At length, after some hours in thus beating about the bush, the Scottish blood of some of my countrymen began to be impatient; and three of them announced their determination to march in and beard the lion in his lair, provided three of the bastaards, who were superior marksmen, would support them, and follow up their fire should the enemy venture to give battle. Accordingly in they went, to within fifteen or twenty paces of the spot. He was couched among the roots of a large evergreen bush, with a small space of open ground on one side of it; and they fancied, on approaching, that they saw him distinctly, lying glaring from under the foliage. Charging the Bastaards to stand firm and level fair should they miss, the Scottish champions let fly together, and struck—not the lion, as it afterwards proved, but a great block of red stone, beyond which he was actually lying. Whether any of the shot grazed him is uncertain, but, with no other warning than a furious howl, forth he bolted from the bush. The pusillanimous Bastaards, in place of pouring in their volley upon him, instantly turned, and fled helter-skelter, leaving him to do his pleasure upon the defenceless Scots, who, with empty guns, were tumbling over each other in their hurry to escape the clutch of the rampant savage. In a twinkling he was upon them, and with one stroke of his paw dashed the nearest to the ground. The scene was terrific! There stood the lion, with his foot upon his prostrate foe, looking round in conscious power and pride upon the bands of his assailants, and with a front the most noble and imposing that can be conceived; it was the most magnificent thing I ever witnessed. The danger of our friends, however, rendered it at the moment too terrible to enjoy either the grand or the ludicrous part of the scene. We expected every instant to see one or more of them torn to pieces; nor, though the rest of the party were standing within fifty paces with their guns cocked and levelled, durst we fire for their assistance. One was lying under the lion's paw, the rest were scrambling towards us in such a way as to intercept our aim. All this passed more rapidly than I have described it. But luckily the lion, after steadily surveying us for a few seconds, seemed willing to be quits with us on fair terms, and with a fortunate forbearance (for which he met an ungrateful recompense) turned calmly away, and driving the snarling dogs like rats from among his heels, bounded over the adjoining thicket like a cat over a footstool, clearing brakes and bushes twelve or fifteen feet high as readily as if they had been tufts of grass, and abandoning the jungle, retreated towards the mountains. "After ascertaining the state of our rescued comrade (who fortunately had sustained no other injury than a slight scratch on the back, and a severe bruise in the ribs,) we renewed the chase, with the Hottentots and hounds in full cry. In a short time we again came up with the enemy, and found him at bay under an old mimosa tree, by the side of a mountain stream, which we had distinguished by the name of Douglas Water. The dogs were barking round, but afraid to approach him, for he was now beginning to growl fiercely, and to brandish his tail in a manner that showed he was meditating mischief. The Hottentots, by taking a circuit between him and the mountain, crossed the stream, and took a position on the top of a precipice overlooking the spot where he stood. Another party of us occupied a position on the other side of the glen; and placing the poor fellow thus between two fires, which confused his attention and prevented his retreat, we kept battering away at him till he fell unable again to grapple with us, pierced with many wounds. He proved to be a full-grown |