Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-08-17
HABITS OF THE LION.


One of the most striking things connected
with the lion is his voice, which is extremely
grand and peculiarly striking. 1t consists at
times of low, deep moaning, repeated five
or six times, ending in family audible sighs /;
at other times he startles the forest with
loud, deep toned, solemn roars, repeated five
or six times in quick succession, each in.
creasing in loudness TO the third Or fourth,
when his voice dies away in five or six low,
mufied sounds, very much resembling dis
tant thunder. At times, and not unlrequeni-
| ly, troop may be heard roaring in concert,
one assuming the lead, and two, three or
four more regularly taking up their parts,
like persons singing a catch. Like our Scot
tish stags at the rutling season, they roar
loudest in cold, frosty nights; but on no oc-
casions are their voices 10 be heard in such
perfection, or so intensely powerful, as when
two or three strange troops of lions approach
fountain TO drink at the same time. When
this occurs, every member of each troop
sounds bold roar of defiance al the oppo-
site parties and when one roars, all roar TO-
gether, and each seem TO vie with his com.
rades in the intensity and power of his voice.
The powe. and grandeur of these nocturnal
forest concerts is inconceivably striking and
pleasing TO the hunters ear. The effect,
may remark, is greatly enhanced when the
hearer happens to be situated in the depths
of the forest, at the dead hour of midnight,
unaccompanied by any attendant, and en-
sconced within twenty yards Of the fountain
which the surrounding troops Of lions are ap-
preaching. Such has been my situation
many scores of times; and though am al
lowed to have ,olerably good taste for music,
consider the catches with which was then
RECALLED as the sweetest and most natural
ever heard. As general rule, lions roar du-
ring the night their signing moans COM
mencing as the shades of evening envelop
the forest, and continued at intervals through.
out the night. In distant and secluded re-
gions, however, have constantly heard them
roaring loudly as late as nine and Ten O'Clock
on a bright sunny morning. In hazy and
rainy weather they are to be heard a, every
hour in the day, but their roar is subdned.-
1t often happens that when two strange male
lions meet at a fountain terrific combat en-
Sues which not unfrequently ends in the
death of one Of them. The habits of the
lion are strictly nocturnal during the day he
! lies concealed beneath the shade of some
low bushy tree or wide-spreading bush
either in the level forest or on the mountain
side. He is also partial to lofty reeds or
fields of long rank yellow grass, such as oc-
cur in low.lying valleys
From these haunts he sallies forth when
the sun goes down, and commences his
nightly prowl. When he is successful in his
beat, and has secured his prey, he does not
roar much that night only ultering occasion
ally few low moans-that is, provided no
intruders approach him, otherwise the case
would be very different 4 remarked
a fact connected with the lions hour of
drinking peculiar to themselves-they SEEM
ed unwilling 10 visit the fountains with good
moonlight. Thus, when the moon rose early,
the lions deferred their hour of watering
until late in the morning and when the
moon rose late, they drank at very eally
hour in the night. Owing 10 the taw-
ny color Of the coat with which nature has
robed him, he is perfectly invisible in the
dark and although have often heard them
loudly tapping the water Under my very nose,
not twenty yards from me, | could not posi-
bly, make out so much as the outline of their
forms. When a thirsty lion comes to water,
he stretches out his massive arms, lies down
on his breast TO drink, and makes loud lap
ping noise in drinking, not TO be mistaken
He continues tapping up the waite! for long
while, and four or five times during the pro-
ceeding he pauses for half minoe as il to
take breath, One thing conspicuous about
them is their eyes, which, in dark night,
glow ike two balls of fite.--hre gears IN
Africa.
GRrEF.-Deeply were we affected on
reading the other day of a young lady, who,
being told that her lover was suddenly killed
! exclaimed. OOH that splendid cold watch Of