 |
| Lioness and her cubs nursing. |
The lion is an open-country hunter. It is to be found, as a rule, in the long grass and bush-lands, or on the outskirts of the deserts. Its color is a beautiful yellowish-brown, which matches its surroundings so perfectly that it is enabled to steal upon its prey unseen. A favorite trick of the lion is to lie in wait upon some rock near a path where deer and antelope pass on their way to drink. Its color here again serves to keep it concealed, for it lies so still that even the timid deer are deceived, and do not see their enemy crouching in ambush. As the deer pass by, the lion springs among them and drags a victim down.
The lion has earned his regal title from his strength. It is said that a full-grown male will attack and pull down a buffalo. It easily drags the body of the largest horse over the roughest ground. When a lion makes an attack it springs upon its victim's neck, and at the same time deals a fearful blow with its paw.
Many are the stories told showing this trait, and one of the most interesting comes from the late Dr. Livingstone:
''A number of natives had found a lion concealed in a long grass swamp. Forming a circle, they closed slowly in, beating tom-toms all the while. As the circle became very narrow, the lion suddenly broke cover with a roar, and made off for the nearest shelter. The natives scattered right and left, but one man, unable to get away quickly enough, was knocked down by the lion. When the hunt was over .the doctor returned expecting to find the man only stunned, when, to his surprise, he found his shoulder broken and his skull crushed like an egg-shell from the blow he had received.''
The lion is not a sneak like the tiger, for instead of seeking cover it comes boldly out into the open, and it is killed that much easier. An instance of the nature of the lion is here shown in the following story:
A hunter camping in Abyssinia was one evening surprised when a native told him that a few minutes before he had passed quite close to a full-grown lion. "You were not afraid?" asked the hunter. "No," replied the native. "Why should I be? The lion never attacks us unless he is very hungry or annoyed."
 |
| Barbary Lion roaring at dawn. |
With regard to the lion not being a sneak, there are always exceptions to prove the rule, for while it does not hesitate to boldly raid a cattle corral in broad daylight, there are times when it prefers to sneak upon its prey. A story showing this comes from a young man who had recently taken service in South Africa :
He left his camp, one fine evening about dusk, for a stroll, and, passing near a small pond, he sat down on the edge. Suddenly looking across, he saw three pairs of green eyes on the other side watching him. Being new to the country, he did not at once realize his danger. The eyes belonged to lions who had come there to drink, who, on seeing him, divided, coming round the pond slowly, and creeping toward him. The young fellow, who was smoking, placed his pipe beside him on the rock, and as he turned to watch the eyes he upset it into some dry grass, which took fire at once. The lions, thus exposed to view, glared at him, and then turned tail and made off, like great skulking cats. Needless to say that was the last evening stroll the young man took while in those parts.
The lions set a bad example to the rest of the animal kingdom, for they are very quarrelsome. Two or three lions will combine to attack a rhinoceros or buffalo, but afterward they will always fight over the division of the spoil, and not infrequently one of the lions that has helped to gain the victory will be driven off without getting a share. A hunter once wounded a giraffe, but before he could fire a second shot the giraffe rushed off over a hill-side. The hunter followed as fast as he could, and to his astonishment he found the giraffe in a deadly combat with some lions. After making frantic efforts to get away, the bullet took effect and the giraffe fell dead. The lions, thinking that they had gained an easy victory, had a grand battle between themselves for the possession of the carcass.
Great authorities on Africa are of the opinion that the lion will become extinct within the next hundred years, unless it is strictly protected. In spite of the fact that the lioness gives birth to six or seven cubs at a time, these animals are steadily vanishing before the advance of man. For the hunters of big game it will be a pity when this mighty beast no longer roams the desert, or breaks the stillness of the tropic night with its deafening roar.
 |
| Lions signal their authority and ownership of a place by roaring. |
