New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-06-02
The Domestic Relations and Private Life
of Lion,

OF a Lion
Let us sketch the story of the lions life, beginning
with his marriage, which takes place towards the end
of January. He has first to seek his wife but as the
males are far more abundant than the females, who
are often cut off in infancy, it is not rare to find
young lady pesered by the addresses Of three four
gallants, who quarrel with the acerhty Of Jealous
lovers. If one Of them does not succeed in disabling
o. driving away the others, Madam, impatient and
dissatisfied leads them into the presence of an old
hon, whom she has appreciated at distance. The
asperation The old fellow receives them with calm
assurance breaks the neck of the first with his ter
ribe jaw, smashing the leg Of the second and tears
out the eye of the third No sooner is the day won
and the field clear than the lion losses his name in the
air as he roas, and then crouches by the side Of his
lady, who as a reward for his courage, ticks his
wounds caressingly. When two adult lions are the
rivals, the encounter is more serious.
An Arab perched in tree one night, saw lioness
followed by tawny lion with full grown name ; she
lay down at the foot of tree the lion stopped on his
path and seemed to listen The Arab then heard the
distant growing of lion, which was instantly re-
piled to by the ioness under the tree This made her
husband roar furiously. The distant lion was heard
approaching and as he came nearer the lioness
ed louder which seemed to agtate her husband for he
marched toward her if to force her to be SILENT
and then sprang back to his old post roaring defiance
at his distant rival This continued about an hour,
when black lion made his appearance on the plain.
The ioness rose to go toward him, but her husband
guessing her intention, bounded toward his rival The
two crouched and sprang at each other rolling on the
grass in the embrace of death. Their bones cracked
their flesh was torn, their cries of rage and agony
rent the air and all this time the lioness couched and
wagged her tail slowly in sign of satisfaction When
the combat ended, and both warriors were stretched
on the plain, she rose and smelt them satisfied her.
sell that they were dead and trotted off quite re-
CARELESS of the uncomplimentary epithet which the
indignant Arab shouted after her. This Gerard tells
us, is an example Of the coniuga fidelity of my lady ;
whereas, the lion never quits his wife, unless forced
and is quite pattern of conjugal attentions.
Our lion then is married, let US say. He is the
slave of his wife It is she who always takes proce-
dure when she stoops he stoops. Onarrving at the
douar (the collection Of tents-what we call vii
age for their supper she lies down while he leaps
into the Enclosure, and brings to her the booty He
watches her while she eats, taking care that no one
disturbs her; and not until her appetite is satisfied
does he begin his meal. Toward the end of Decem-
ber they seek an isolated ravine, and there she pre-
sents her lord with one, two, and sometimes three
puppies, generally one male and one female. If the
reader has ever seen or handled puppy lion he will
understand the idolatry of mother and father. She
never quits them for an instant, and he only quits
them to bring home supper When they are three
months old their weaving commences The mother
accustoms them gradually to it, by absentng for lon
ger and longer periods and bringing pieces Of mutton
carefully skinned. The father, whose habitual de-
meanor IS grave, becomes tatigued with the frivous
sports OF children, and for the sake of tranquility TO-
moves hisSlodging to distance within reach however
to render assistance if required At the age Of four
or five months, the children follow their mother to the
border of the Forest where their father brings them
their supper.
At six months old they accompany their father
and mother in all nocturnal expeditions. From eight
to twelve months they learn to attack sheep, goats
and even bulls but they are so awkward they
usually wound ten for one they kill it is not till
they are two years old that they can kill horse or
bull at one bite. While their education is thus in pro-
gress. they are ten times more runous to the Arabs
since the family does not content itself with killing
the cattle required for its own consumption but kill
that the children may learn how to kill. At three
years old the children quit home and set up for them
selves, becoming fathers and mothers in their turn.
Their places are occupied by another brood At eight
years the old lion reaches maturity and lives to thirty
or forty When adult he is a magnificent creature,
very different in SIZE aspect color and disposition
from the lion to be seen in the menageres and zooIo-
gca gardens-animals taken from the mothers breast
bred like rabbits, deprived of the fresh mountain air
and ample nourshment. AS an indication of the size
attained by lions in state Of nature we may cite the
fact mentioned by Gerard that the strongest man in
the cavalry regiment to which be belonged, was I'M
able to carry the skin and head of the lion Gerard
had killed.