544 / 1042
F E L
ÍJ:
1";úely turncd agai.,(I thafe
WJlO
have beeo kind to
tllm.
Hm,
as his pallioas are impetuous and I'ehe·
l>lent, it is not to be eX'peéled that the imprellions of
leducation will at al! times
b<
fullicient tO balance lhem :
{Jr this' reafon it il dangerous
[O
I.t him fuffer hunger
long, or to vex him by iJl·úmed tenings : bad treat·
ment nol only irri¡a¡cs him, but he remembers it long,
and meditaks revenge. On Ihe olher hand, be is ex'
ceedingly grmful, ar,d Celdom Corgcls bene61s recei·
ved. He has been oflen obCerved to di(dain weak or
infignificant enemiel, to deCriCe their inCults, and to
pardon their of!"eofi\'e liberties
When led iOlo eap–
livil)', he will difeover fymploms of uneafineCs, with·
out anger OT peevifhneCs: on lhe eontrary, his nalural
lemper Coflens, he obeys his ma(ler, eareITes Ihe hand
Lhat gives him food, and fomelimes gim Iife to [ueh
animals as are Ihrown to him a1ive for prey j by Ihis aél
of generofity he feems tO eonfider hiolfelf as for ever
bOll~d
tOprotea Ihemj helives peacably Wilh them, allows
Ihema part, and Comelimes the whole of his food , and
lYiJl ratber fubmil
10
the pangs of hunger tilan fiU his (lo–
maeh witb the fruit of his benefieence. We may like·
wiCe obCerve, lh"t tbe üon is not a cruel animal j he kills
rather from neceflity than choice, never de(lroying more
th n' he eals, and whenever bis appelite
is
faúslied he
is mild and peaeeable.
T he aCpea of the lion cloes
001
detrall from th- noble
and generous qualiúes of his mind. His figure is rerpec·
table j his looks are determined j his gate is Hately j and
his voiee is tremenduous. In a word, the body of the
lionappears
10
be the bell model of flrength joined to agio
lity. The force of his muCcles is expreITed by his pro·
.digious leaps and b()unds, oflen
20
fm al once j by Ihe
hrilk motion of his tail, a fingle Cweep of whieh is fufli
.cienl tOIhrow aman tó the ground j by Ihe eafe with
which he moves the flán of his face, and particularly of
his forehead j and, la(lly, by the faeulty of ereéUng and
agitating the hair of his main when irritated.
Lions are I'ery ardent in their amours: when the fe·
male is in feafon, fhe is ofteD followed by eight or teD
males, who roar iDce{[antly, and enter ioto fu rious en·
g~gements,
till one oP them eompletely overcomes the
re(l, lakes peaeeable polTeflion of lhe female, and carries
her off to Come fecret reeefs. T he lionneCs brings fonh her
young in the fpring, Rnd produces but once every year.
AII
Ihe paflions of thelion, Ihe Coft paffioo of love not
excepted, are exceffive j the love of offspring is exneme:
(he lionoers
is
naturally weaker, leCs bold, and more gen·
Ile tban the lionj but fhe becomes perfeélly
r~paeious
and terrible when fhe has young. The,o fhe exhibits
more eourage than the male j fhe knows no daoger j fue
attaeks indifferently menand all olher animals, kills Lhem,
~.Dd
carries them lO her yOUD' ooes, whom (he thus ear.
Iy in(lruéls lOfuck their bload and téar their fiefh. She
generally brings fonh iD the mo(l fecrel and inaeceilible
places j and, \Vhen afraid of adifeovery, fhe endeavours
10
eoneeal the traces of her feel, by returning frequently
on her (leps, or rather by effaeing them
\~ith
her tail j
and, when the danger is greal, fhe carries off her youog
and eonceals them fome where elle. But, when an aéluaJ
attempt is made
10
deprive ber of her y.ouDg,lhe becomes
F E L
perfellly fmio;;" "Dd
d~~
nJs lhcm
ül1
(be be tora to
pieees.
The lioD fel,l1lm goes ?hroad in the middle of Ihe
day; he goes round in Ihe evening and "igbt, in quell of
prey. He is afraid of fire, never approaehes Ihe inili·
eial fires
IUdde
by the Ihepilerds for the proleélion of thelr
flocks j be does not trace olher animals by the feenl, but
is obliged
10
tru(l to his eyes. Many hillorians have e·
ven miCreprefeDled him as ineapable of findiog out his
prey j but that he is obliged to the jaekal, ao animal
01'
exquifite fcent, in order to provide for him, and that
Ihis animal either aecompanies or goes before him for Ihis
purpofe. The jackal is a Dalive of
Ar~bia,
Lybia,
&c.
and, like the lion, lives upon prey j perhap! fome·
times he follows Ihe Iioo, but it is \Vilh a yiew lO piek up
w.hat he leaves behind, not tO prol'ide for him j for, be·
ing a Cmall and feeble animal, he ought rather tO
By
thaD
toCerve the üon.
Thc lion, when bungry, will auack aoy animal Ihat
preCents
itCelr:
but he is fo I'ery formidable, that all en·
deavour to avoid his rencouotrej this eircum(lanee oflen
obliges him
10
conceal himfelf, and lie in wail tiJl fome
animal ehanees to pafs. He lies fq ual on his beJly in
a
Ihickel j from which he fprings with fueh force aod velo–
eity, that he ofteo feiles them at the fidl bound.
He
endures hunger longer than thidl j he feldom paITes lVa·
ter w}thout drinking, whieh he doe by lapping Ilke a
dogo For his ordinary fubfi(lcnee, he requires about
15 pounds of raw fiefh each day.
Theroaring of Ihe lioo is fo {Irong and loud, that ilre–
fembles Ihe rumbling of di(lant thunder. His roaring is
his ordinary voice: bUI when he is irritated, his ery il
(horter, repealed more fuddenly, and is .¡¡iJl more.
ter~
•
ble than
t.beroariDg: befides he beats hls fides
WII~
hls
tail,
fiamp! with his feet, ereéls aDd agitates the hm of
his head and :nain, moves the lkin of his face, lhows
his angry leeth, and lolls OUt his tongue.
The gait of the lion is flately, grave, and flow, Ihough
a1ways in an Clblique direélion. Bis movemeots are nOI
equal or meaCured, but confi(l of leaps and bouDds j
whieh prevems him from (lopping fuddenly, and
mak~s
himoflen oyer.leap his mark . When he leaps upon
~IS
prey, he makes a bound of
12
or
1$
feet, falls above
11,
[eiles it wilh his fore·feel, lears the flefh with his claws,
and then devours it wilh .his teeLh.
T he lion, hOll'ever terrible, is hunted
by
large dogs,
\Vell fupported by men on horfeback: they dillodge hlm,
and oblige him to retire. But it is necelfary Ihat holll
Ihe dogs and borfes be trained before·hand j for al·
moa
eyery animal frets and fiies
~s
foon as he feels
Ibe very Cmell of a lion. His Ikin, ahhough hard aDd
firm, does nOI refi(l either a baU or a javelin : however,
be is Celdom killed by a fingle (lroke j aod is more
f~e
quentiy laken by addrefs than force. They put a !Jve
animal above a deep pit eoyered with li,ght fubllaoee\,
and Ihus deeoy him ioto the fnare.
2.
T be TIGER
The file
oF
this animal, ae·
eording tOfome authors, ís larger, aod, aeeording ro
others, Comewhat lers than II:e lion.
M.
de la Lande·
magon aITures
U!,
thal he has feen a liger in the Eaa,Iné
dies
1
S
feet loog, iDeludin' undoubtedly the lengtb o
o
tbe