The Lion and the Elephant. Charles John Andersson
that both the colour and the size depend chiefly upon the animal's age, the
THE LION.
development of his physical powers; and of the mane also, being principally influenced by a like contingency. That, for instance, which has been designated the 'maneless lion of Guzerat,' is nothing more than a young lion whose mane has not shot forth; and I give this opinion with the less hesita- tion, having slain the 'king of beasts' in every stage from whelphood to imbecility."
In Northern Africa, again, it would seem the general opinion that there is more than one species of lion. M. Gérard, the famous slayer of these beasts, tells us, indeed, "that no less than three species are found in Algeria, viz., the black lion (el adrea), the fawn-coloured lion (el asfar), and the grey lion (el zarzouri). He, moreover, goes into many details relating to each, but his story is too long for insertion in these pages.
The lion also inhabits the hotter portions of Asia, amongst the rest, as said, certain districts in Hin- dostan. In parts of Turkey, Persia, Syria, &c., it is far from uncommon. What may be the case in the Holy Land at the present day, I know not; but from the frequent allusions made to this animal in the Bible, it would seem formerly to have abounded there.*
In parts, at least, of Asia, as in Africa, the idea is likewise entertained that there is more than one species of lion. Layard, for instance, in his cele- brated work, "Nineveh and Babylon," after telling
* Judges xiv. 5, 6; 1 Samuel xvii. 34; Psalm civ. 21; 1 Kings xiii. 24, 25, 28; 2 Kings xvii. 25, 26; Jeremiah xlix. 19); Nahum ii. 11, 12, 13.
OPINION OF NATURALISTS.
us that, on the River Karoom, he had seen lions with a long black mane, goes on to say, "The in- habitants of the country make a distinction between them and the common maneless lion; the former are 'kafir' or infidels, the others Mussulmans, By a proper remonstrance, and at the same time pro- nouncing the profession of faith, a true believer may induce the one to spare his life, but the unbelieving lion is inexorable."
Though the belief of there being two. or more kinds of lion, not only in Southern and Northern Africa, but in Asia, is, as shewn, pretty general, yet great naturalists, on the contrary, assure us there is only one species in the world, and that the difference observable amongst these animals, in regard to size, colour, &c., is solely attributable to the effects of climate, soil, food, age, or other circum- stances. "The lion," says Carpenter, the zoo- logist," is much more disposed to exhibit varieties than most of the feline family, with the exception of the domestic cat," and he quotes many unmistak- able instances of animals originally of the same race, changing their habits and character by being removed to localities differing in physical condition from those pertaining to the place of their birth.
But be there only one species of lion, or be there several, the subject is at all events deserving the attention of naturalists, and others who devote themselves to the advancement of science.
To resume: lions, though generally distributed over the African continent, probably abound most
THE LION.
in countries bordering on the torrid zone. In parts of Southern Africa they are also very numerous, as what follows will shew:—
"These rocks and vales and picturesque scenes," says Moffatt, when describing one of his journeys in the interior," were often vocal with the lion's roar. It was a country once covered with a dense population; on the sides of the hills and Kashan Mountains were towns in ruins, where thousands once made the country alive, amidst fruitful vales now covered with luxuriant grass, inhabited by game. The extirpating invasions of the Mantaties and Matabele had left to beasts of prey the undis- puted right of these lovely woodland glens. The lion, which had revelled on human flesh, as if con- scious there was none to oppose him, roamed at large, a terror to the traveller, who often hears with dismay his mighty roaring echoed back by the surrounding hills."
Elsewhere, when speaking of a wild and desolate region that he was traversing, the worthy Mis- sionary writes: "The number of lions hereabouts may be easily accounted for, when it is remem- bered how thinly scattered are the inhabitants; and, indeed, the whole appearance of the country impresses the mind with the idea that it is only fit for beasts of prey."
And further on, when speaking of the Chuenyane Mountains, he says: "The number of lions here was fearful. . . . During the night we heard their roar from every point of the compass "
Then, again, we are told by M. Delegorgue, the
MAJESTIC APPEARANCE.
African traveller, naturalist, and sportsman, who spent a considerable time in the Caffir country. "that during the great migration or' the Dutch Boers from the Cape Colony to their present settle- ment, no fewer then 380 lions were killed by them."
Harris, also, testifies to the great number of lions in the country where he was then shoot- ing, in a letter to Colonel Delamaine, an equally enthusiastic and renowned sportsman as himself. He says: "They are nearly as numerous as the rhinoceros,* and used to visit our waggons by twos and threes by daylight, and every night they made a descent on our sheep and oxen, frequently killing them, and generally driving thorn out of the thorn fence into the wilderness to a distance of miles."
The lion I here speak of the common type is a strikingly bold and majestic-looking animal; his large and shaggy mane, which he can erect at plea- sure, surrounding his awful front. His huge eye- brows, his round and fiery eye-balls, which, upon the least irritation, seem to glow with peculiar lustre, together with the formidable appearance of his fangs, exhibit a picture of terrific grandeur. which no words can describe.
One must not, however, judge of the animal from the specimens usually exhibited in menageries; for though these frequently equal in bulk those found
* Of which animals, as had previously informed his friend. "he on one occasion, when bringing to his bivouac a distance of about a mile the head of a koodoo shot on the preceeding day, encountered no fewer than twenty-two, and was necessitated to shoot three of them to clear the way."
THE LION.
in a wild state, yet being reared in confinement, and deprived of the milk of the mother of fresh air, so to say of liberty, &c., they too often acquire a sickly, emaciated, and melancholy look, which, coupled with the want of an ample mane, causes them to contrast very unfavourably with their fel- lows in a state of nature.
Harris, who had ample opportunities of making the acquaintance of the lion in his native wilds both in Africa and India, would seem, like myself, to have been greatly struck by the different ap- pearance the beast presents when in a state of freedom from that when a wretched prisoner. His words are:—
"Those who have seen the monarch of the forest in crippling captivity, immured in a cage barely double his own length, with his sinews relaxed by confinement, have seen but the shadow of the animal which 'clears the desert with his roving eye.' "
The lioness is a much less imposing-looking animal than the lion, being not only one-third smaller, but devoid of a mane. When roused, how- ever, either by rage or hunger, she has an even more ferocious aspect than her stately mate, whose countenance is often partially hidden by his flowing inane.
It is said that, as a general rule, the lioness is more fierce and active than the lion, and that such as have never had young are more dangerous than those that have had families.
The lion is possessed of a piercing sight, and his
ROAR OF THE LION.
hearing is very acute, but his sense of smell would not appear to be very nice. Indeed, to judge by Gerard's adventures with the beast, which, by his account, often approached to within a very few paces of him. without being at all aware of his pre- sence, it would not seem as if his olfactory nerves served him in any very great stead.
The roar of the lion perhaps one of the most remarkable characteristics, so to say, of the animal is fearful, and when heard in the night