The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-07-02
From the Westminster Review.
The Loves of the Lions.


which takes place toward the end of J an
uary. He has first to seek wife but
The males are far moro abundant than
the females, who are often cut off in in.
fancy, it is not rare to find young lady
pestered by three or four gallants, who
quarrel with the accrbity of jealous low.
ers. If ono of them does not succeed in
disabling or driving away the others,
madame, inpatient and dissatisfied, leads
them into the presence of an old lion,
whose roar she has appreciated at dis
tance The lovers fly at him with the
tcmerty Of youth and evaporation. The
old fellow receives them with calm as
surance, breaks the neck of the first with
his terrible jaws, smashes the legs of the
second, and tears out the eyes of the
third. No sooner is the Gay won and the
field clear, than tho lion tosses his name
10 the air and roars. and then crouches
by the side of the lady. who, as re.
ward for his courage, licks his wounds
caressngly. When two adult lions are
the rivals tho encounter is more serious.
An Arab, perched on tree one night,
saw a lioness followed by tawny lion
with full grown manc she lay down at
the foot of the tree, the lion stopped on
his path aud seemed to listen. The A
rab then heard the distant growing Of
lion which was Instantly replied to by
the lioness under the tree. This made
her husband roar furiously. The dis.
tant lion was heard approaching and as
he came nearer the lioness roared loud
or, which seemed to agitate her husband,
for he marched towards her as if to force
ber to be silent, and then sprang back
to his old post, roaring defiance at his
distant rival This continued for about
all hour, when a black lion made his ap.
Pcarance on the plain. The lioness
arose, as if to 60 towards him, but her
husband guessing her intention bound
cd towards his rival. Tho two crouchcd
aud sprsrg on each other, rolling on the
grass in the embrace Of death Their
bones cracked, their flesh was torn, their
cries of rage and excruiating agony rent
the air, and all this time the lioness
crouched anG wagged her tail slowly in
sign of satisfaction. When the combat,
ended and 10th warriors we're stretched
on the plain, she rose, smelt them. and
satisfied herself they we're dead and trot-
ted off quite regardless Of the uncompli
taIy eplthet which the indignant Arab
shouted after her. This, Gerard tells us.
is an example Of the conjugal fidelity Of
my lady, whereas tho lion never quits
his wife, unless forced, and is quite pat.
tern of conjugal fidelity.
Our hon, then, is married, let US say
He is the slave Of his wife 1t is she
who always takes precedence when she
stops he stops. On arriving at q dou,'
(the collection Of tents-what is called
villoge.) for their supper, she lies down
while he IeaIs into tie enclosure and
brings to her the booty. lie watches
her while she eats, taking care that no
one shal! disturb her; and not until her
appetite is satisfied does be begin his
meal. When she feels tha, she is about
to become a mother. e toward the mid.
die Of December, thoy seek an isolated
ravine, aud there, without the aid of
chloroform or DIR. Locock, she presents
her lord with one, two, and sometimes
three puppies, generally one male and
one female. If the reader has ever seen
and handled puppy lion, he will under
stand the father aud the mother. 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 ac.
customs them gradually TO it, by absent
| IpU fn IL,
and brings them pieces of murtoi care
fully skinned The father, whose habit.
ual demcanor is grave, becomes fatigucd
by the frivolous sports Of his children
and for the sake of tranquility removes
his lodgings to distance, within reach,
however, to render assistance if reeuir.
e0.
AT the age Of four or five months their
children. follow their mother to the bor.
der Of the forest where the father brings
'hem their supper. At six months old
they accompany their father and mother
in all noctural expeditions From cigh
to twelve months they learn to attack
sheep, goats, and even bulls but thoy
are so awkward that they usually wound
| teh iur Que ihcy kl!l. II II not III they
are two years old that they can kill q
horse or bull with one bite. While
their education is thus in progress they
arc ten times more ruinoGs to the Arabs
since the family does not coutent itself
with killing the cattle required for its
own consumption, but kills that the chill
dron may learn how to kill AT three
years old tue children quit homo and Sc,
up for themselves, becoming fathers and
mothers i'll their turn. Their places are
occupied by another brood. At eight
years old the lion reaches maturity, and
lives to thirty or forty. When adult be
is a magnificent creature, very different
IN size, aspect, and disposition from the
lions to be seen in menageries aud zoolo
gical gardens auimais taken from tho
mothers breast, bred like rabbits, de
prived Of the fresh mountain air. As an
indication Of the size attained by lions in
state of pature, we may cite the fact
mentioned by Gerard, that the strongest
man in the cavalry regiment to which he
belonged was unable to carry the skin
and head Of the lion which Gerard had
| killed.