The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-01-02
Natural Gistorp.
The Habits of the Lien.

Z
| beginning with his marriage, which takes
place towards the end Of January. lie has
| first 20 seek his wife, hut as the males are
more abundant than females, who are Of
ten cut oil in infancy, it is not rare 70 find
a young lady postrrcd by the addresses OF
| three or four gallants, who quarrel with
the acerbty of jealous lovers If one
docs not succeed in disabling or driving
away the others, madam, impatient and
dissatisfied, leads them into the presence
| OF an Old lion, when she has appreciated
at Il distance The lovers fly at him with
| the tementy 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 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 to5Sc3 his name in the
air, as he roars, and then crouGhcs by the
lady, who, as 4 reward for his courage,
l!cks his wounds eaircsSingly. When two
adult lions are the rivals the encounter is
more serious.
An Arab pe"chcd in tree one night
saw loncss followed by tawny with 9
luIl grown name she lay down at the fo5t
OF tree, the lion stopped on his path, snd
seemed to listen. lhe Arab !hen hmri
the distant growing Of a hon, which was
instantly replied to by the li0ncss under the
tree. This made her husband roar fu.i-
ously.
The distant lion was heard approaching
and as he came nearer the lionrss roared
louder which seemed to agitate her husband
Tor he marched towards her as if to force her
to be silent: and then sprang h,cl 70 his
old post, roaring defiance at h;s distant rival.
This continued for about an hour, when Il
black lion made his appearance On the plain.
The lionosi IoSeto go towards him. but her
husband guessing her intention, bounded to-
ward his rival. The two crouched and
sprang at each other, rolling on the grass in
the embrace Of death. bones cracked
their flesh was torn, their cries Ct rage and
agony rent the ali, and al this time tie lion
eSs crouchcd and wageed her tail slowly in
sign Of satisfaction When the combat ended,
and both warriors were Stretched the plain,
she rose, smell them, satisfied herself that they
were dead, and troted off, quite regardless Of
the nnconplmentary cpthet which the in
dgnant Arab shouted after her.
Ihis, Gerard tells US, is an example of
the conjngal fidelity of my lady, where's
the lion never quits his wife unless forced,
and is quite polnrc Of cJnjugal affection.
N"' iibIi, '4Sli' 10 ILdilRU, lCL us say.
He is the slave Of his wife. 1t is she who
always takes PRECEDENCE, where she stops
he stops. On arriving at the doadr rhe
collection Of tcnts-what we cali village
for their supper, she lies down while he leans
into the enclosure and biiups Ia her ti4r
booty. lie watches her While She cats,
taking care that no one disur5s her and not
till hcr appetite is satisfied does he begin his
meal. Toward the end Of December they
seek an isolated rayinc, and there she pre-
Sents her lord with one, two and sometimes
three puppies. generally one male aud one
female. Ii the reader has ever seen or ham
died puppy lion, he will understand the
iuo.alury Of the father and mother. She
never quits them for an instant, and he ouly
quits them to bring home supper. When
they are three months old their weaving com
mencef. The mother accu'toms them to it
gradually. by abspntng herself FOR longer and
longer periods, and bringing them pieces Of
mutton carefully skinned. The father
whose habitusl dcncauor is grave, becomes
tatgucd with the frivolous sports of children,
and for the sake Of tranquility, removes his
lodging toa dstance--within reach, however,
to render assistance If required. at the age
of four or five months the children follow
their mother 10 the border he forest, v here
their father brings them their supper. At
six 'aonths old they accompany Their father
and mother in all their 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 a horse or
bull at ore bite. While their education rs
thus in progress they are ten times more
ruinous to the Arabs, since the family does
not content itself with killing the cattle re-
quirod for its own consumption, but killing
that the children ma, learn how to kill. At
three years old the children quit home and
set up for themselves, becoming fathers and
mothers in their turn. Their places are &C.
cupicd by another brood. At eight years
cid the lion reaches maturity, and lives to
thirty or forty. When adult he is a mag
nlicent creature, very different in size, aspect,
color and disposition from the lions 20 be
seen in the mcnsgerles and geological gardens,
animals taken from the mothers breast bred
like rabbits, deprived OF the fresh mountain air
and ample nourish,nent. as an indication of
the size attained by lions in a state Of nature
we may cite the fact mentioned by Gerard,
that the strongest man in the cavalry regi-
ment to which he belonged was unable to
larry the skin and head of the lion Gerard
80 Il killsd'-W estmniStcr RsvieW.