embroidered in gold, a device which is here considered a badge of royalty. I was amused by one peculiarity, which I had never before heard of; while the elephant is going on, a man walks by his side, telling him where to tread, bidding him "take care," "step out," warning that the road is rough, slippery, &c., all which the animal is supposed to understand, and to take his measures accordingly. The mahout says nothing, but guides him by pressing his legs to his neck, on the side to which he wishes him to turn, urging him forward with the point of a formidable goad, and stopping him by a blow on the forehead with the but-end of the same instrument.

THE AFRICAN LION.

the feline race.

C.

THE appearance of the lion, when unannoyed, or in confinement, where he is generally very tame, does not convey to us that idea of ferocity which generally associates itself with the greater number of His ample front, and overhanging brow, surrounded with a long and shaggy mane, remind us of something more majestic than ferocity; but the gleam from his eye on the slightest motion of the bystander, the expression of his countenance, and erection of his mane upon provocation, show that he will not be trifled with, and are sufficient intimations of the powers he is able to call to his assistance.

The general form of the lion is stronger in front, than the proportions of his kindred tribes; and his broad chest and shoulders, and thick neck, point out the strength he possesses to seize and carry off a prey of even greater weight than himself. His common colour is of a rich brownish yellow, and the head and neck of the males are covered with long, flowing, and

shaggy hair, commonly denomina ted the mane, which is wanting in the females. This mane, and the tuft at the extremity of the tail, are peculiar to the lion.

In the actions of all animals, the influence of hunger has a very powerful effect, and the attributes of cruelty which have generally been given to this race, have been called forth by their search after natural sustenance. In like manner are they endowed with cunning, and daring; and we accordingly find animals of such size and bulk as the lion and tiger, endowed with powers sufficient to overcome creatures both great and strong. When not pressed by the severe calls of hunger, the lion feeds chiefly at dawn and twilight, and is easily disturbed: he is nevertheless abroad during the whole night, and prowling round the herds of wild animals, or near the flocks of the settlers, or caravans of travellers, watches an opportunity, and, seizing upon some straggler, carries it to his place of repose, and devours it at leisure. But impelled by the cravings of hunger, which the scarcity of wild animals, and the care of the colonists sometimes force him to endure, he becomes a very different being: his cunning be comes daring, no barrier will with stand him-he rushes with resistless fury upon the object of his attack-a bullock is torn from the team, or a horse from the shafts→→ and even man is dragged from the watch-fires, surrounded by his companions, and powerful fire-arms.

Perseverance in watching, and in retaining his prey when seized, are other characteristics of the lion. An instance of the latter, is related in the Journal of the Landdrost Sterneberg, kept in his journey to the Namaqua Hottentots.

The waggons and cattle (says he,) had been put up for the night, when, about midnight, they got

into complete confusion. About thirty paces from the tent, stood a lion, which, on seeing us, walked very deliberately a few paces fur. ther, behind a small thorn-bush, carrying something with him, which I took to be a young ox. We fired more than sixty shots at the bush. The south-east wind blew strong, the sky was clear, and the moon shone very bright, so that we could perceive anything at a short distance. After the cattle had been quieted again, and I had looked over every thing, I missed the centry from before the tent. We called as loudly as possible, but in vain; nobody answered, from which I concluded he was carried off. Three or four men then advanced very cautiously to the bush, which stood right opposite the door of the tent, to see if they could discover any thing of the man, but returned helter-skelter; for the lion, who was still there, rose up, and began to roar. About a hundred shots were again fired at the bush, without perceiving any thing of the lion. This induced one of the men again to approach it, with a firebrand in his hand; but as soon as he approached the bush, the lion roared terribly, and leaped at him, on which he threw the firebrand at him, and the other people having fired about ten shots, he returned immediately to his former station.

The firebrand which had been thrown at the lion, had fallen in the midst of the bush, and, favoured by the wind, it began to burn with a great flame, so that we could see very clearly into it, and through it. We continued our firing into it: the night passed away, and the day began to break, which animated every one to fire at the lion, because he could not lie there, without exposing himself. Seven men, posted at the furthest waggons, watched to take aim at him as he came out. At last, before it became quite

light, he walked up the hill with the man in his mouth, when about forty more shots were fired without hitting him. He persevered in retaining the prey, amidst the fire and shot, and carried it securely off. It may, however, be mentioned, that he was followed and killed in the forenoon, over the mangled remains of the unfortunate sentinel.

It is a common opinion among the South African tribes, that the lion will prefer human prey to any other, will single out the driver from his cattle, and prefer the rider to his horse. This notion has gained converts among the better informed, and in many of the colonies it is generally received as a fact. Sometimes he will seize any prey, but animals are certainly his favourite luxury, and none more than a horse, the pursuit of which, among other cattle, has given rise to the idea that the rider most attracted his attention.

The lion, when taken young, is easily tamed, principally by mild and persuasive usage, and appears to possess more equality of temper than any of the other cats. Many of the keepers display more rasliness than prudence, when strangers are admitted to participate in the performance; and it may be remarked, that the lion only, among the more powerful of the Cat tribe, will admit visitors to a share of his benevolence.

Nero, well known in Wombwell's menagerie, was of a remarkably mild disposition, and allowed his keepers to take every kind of liberty with him. Strangers were frequently introduced into his den, who were permitted to sit and ride on his back. Nero, during these performances, preserved a look of magnanimous composure, and on the entrance or exit of a new visiter, would merely look round.

The most docile lion that has

occurred to our own observation, was one in a travelling menagerie at Amsterdam, where, it may be remarked, that all the animals showed a remarkable degree of tameness and familiarity. The lion alluded to, after being pulled about, and made to show his teeth, &c., was required to exhibit. Two young men, in fancy dresses, entered the spacious cage, and in the mean time, the lion, apparently perfectly aware of what he had to do, walked composedly round. He was now made to jump over a rope, beld at different heights; next through a hoop and a barrel, and again through the same covered with paper. All this he did freely, compressing himself to go through the narrow space, and alighting gracefully.

His next feat was to repeat the leaps through the hoop and barrel, with the paper set on fire; this he evidently disliked, but with some coaxing, went through each. The animals were now all fed, but the lion had not yet completed his share in the night's entertainment, and was required to show his forbearance, by parting with his food. The keeper entered the cage, and took it repeatedly from him; no further resistance than a short clutch and growl was expressed. His countenance had, however, lost its serenity, and how long his good temper would have continued, is doubtful. We did not previously believe that any of the Cat tribe could have been so far tampered with.

THE MENAGERIE.

I was in Henry the Third's reign that foreign animals were first kept in the Tower, as a Royal Menagerie, when that monarch sent thither a white bear, which had been brought to him as a present from Norway, and which he prized very

highly. In one year, the sheriffs of London were ordered to pay four pence a day for his maintenance, and in the following year, they had directions to provide the said bear with a muzzle, a long chain, and a stout cord. In the time of Edward the Second, we find mention of the King's lion, of a quarter of mutton ordered for his daily food, and three half-pence a day to be given to his keeper. There exist many other notices in old records of the place respecting this collection, which was formerly very extensive. James the First used to resort to the Tower, for the cruel and unprincely purpose of seeing Lions and other wild beasts baited by dogs. On one of these occasions a spaniel was cast into the lion's den, but the lion and he became friends, and lived together for several years. A great part of the present collection belongs to the keeper, and the rest are royal property.

THE OTTER.

WE passed to my surprise a row of no less then nine or ten large and very beautiful otters, tethered with straw collars, and long strings, to bamboo stakes on the bank. Some were swimming about at the full extent of their strings, or lying half in and half out of the water; others were rolling themselves in the sun on the sand-banks, uttering a shrill whistling noise as if in play. I was told that most of the fishermen in this neighbourhood kept one or more of these animals, who were almost as tame as dogs, and of great use in fishing, sometimes driving the shoals into the nets, sometimes bringing out the larger fish with their teeth. I was much pleased and interested with the sight.

It has always been a fancy of mine, that the poor creatures whom we waste and persecute to death for no cause, but the gratification of

our cruelty, might, by reasonable treatment, be made the sources of abundant amusement and advantage to us. The simple Hindoo shows here a better taste and judgment than half the otter-hunting and badger-baiting gentry of England. -HEBER'S Journal.

THE BEAVER.

THE BEAVER (Castor), whose fur is so valuable, is an animal of astonishing industry, and prudent foresight. In order to procure lodgings and provisions during winter, the beavers live in a state of society, which resembles the civil compact of man, rather than the mere instinctive habits of other animals. As they must live near water, and frequently in it, they build dams across running brooks, to create an artificial lake; and in order to accomplish so great an object, they are obliged to labour in concert. The ingenuity with which they construct their dams, and build apartments or lodgings, is truly astonishing. If the water of the river or creek have little motion, they build their dams straight across; but if the current be rapid, they make them with a considerable and regular curve against the stream. All the parts are of equal strength, and constructed of drift-wood, green willows, birch, poplars, mud, and stones. These dams, by constant repairing, often become a solid bank on which trees soon grow. The beavers sometimes build their houses in lakes, and other standing waters, without dams; but the advantage of a current, to carry down wood and other necessaries to their habitations, seems to counterbalance the labours of building a dam.

They construct their houses at a convenient distance from the dam, of the same materials; and the principal objects appear to be, having a dry bed to lie on, and security. The

walls, and particularly the roof, are often more than five feet thick; and they never give them the last coat of mud-plaster until the frost sets in, which it freezes so hard, that the wolvereen, the greatest enemy of their tribe, cannot easily break through. Some of the large houses have several apartments; but it appears that each is occupied by a whole family. There is no passage into them from the land side; and they have vaults on the banks of the river to retreat to, when they apprehend danger. They drag pieces of wood with their teeth; the mud and small stones they carry between their fore-paws and their throat. They execute their work wholly in the night. When the increase of their numbers makes it necessary to build other apartments, or when they shift to another situation, they begin to cut down the wood early in summer, and begin building in August; but do not complete their work till cold weather sets in.

They feed on the bark of trees, preferring that of the poplar and willow, and float down the wood which they cut in summer, to their habitations, for winter provision; but their principal article of food is a thick root, that grows on the bottoms of rivers and lakes. In summer, they feed on herbs, berries, &c.

As soon as the ice breaks up in the spring, they leave their houses, and ramble about during summer; and, if they do not fix on a more desirable situation, return to their old residence in autumn, to provide the store of wood necessary for winter. The beaver is cleanly in its habits, always leaving its apartments for necessary purposes. They are easily tamed become fond of human society-are readily taught to eat animal food-always retain their cleanly habits-and are fond of being caressed. They bring forth from two to five at a birth.

The flesh of the beaver is considered very delicious both by the fur-traders and the Indians. The value of the fur is well known; it forms an important and principal article of commercial profit to the Hudson's Bay Company.

THE INDIAN ICHNEUMON. THE Indian Ichneumon is a small creature, in appearance between a weasel and a mungoose. It is of infinite use to the natives, from its inveterate enmity to snakes, which would otherwise render every footstep of the traveller dangerous. The proofs of sagacity which I have seen in this little animal are truly surprising, and afford a beautiful instance of the wisdom with which Providence has fitted the powers of every animal to its particular situation on the globe. This diminutive creature, on seeing a snake ever so large, will instantly dart on it and seize it by the throat, provided he finds himself in an open place, where he has an opportunity of running to a certain herb, which he knows instinctively to be an antidote against the poison of the bite, if he should happen to receive one. I was present at an experiment tried at Columbo, to ascertain the reality of this circumstance. The Ichneumon, procured for the purpose, was first shown the snake in a close room. On being let down to the ground, he did not discover any inelination whatever to attack his enemy, but ran prying about the room, to discover if there was any hole or aperture by which he might get out. On finding none, he returned hastily to his master, and placing himself in his bosom, could not by any means be induced to quit it, or face the snake. On being carried out of the house, however, and laid near his antagonist in an open place, he instantly flew at the snake and soon destroyed it. He

then suddenly disappeared for a few minutes, and again returned as soon as he had found the herb and eaten of it. This useful instinct impels the animal to have recourse to the herb on all occasions, where it is engaged with a snake, whether poisonous or not. The one employed in this experiment was of the harmless kind, and procured for the purpose. PERCIVAL'S Ceylon.

BRAHMINEE BULLS.

UPON quitting Salem, we crossed the Cavery and proceeded towards Seringapatam. On the banks of the river, in the neighbourhood of a small pagoda, we saw a couple of Brahminee bulls, so sleek and fat as to form a perfect contrast with the population around them, everywhere suffering from the sad scarcity of grain, while the bones of these sacred animals were loaded with an encumbrance of consecrated flesh. It was melancholy to see, that while thousands of human beings were starving, the bulls dedicated to the stern divinity, Siva, were so pampered that they would eat nothing but the most delicate food, and this was generally taken with a fastidious and palled appetite. These bulls were very small, but very beautiful; the dewlap of one of them hanging from his throat and between his fore-legs, almost touched the ground. I could not help feeling deeply the sad fact, that the miseries of their fellow-creatures were looked upon with cruel indifference by the wealthy members of the Hindoo community; while before the dumb creatures devoted to their gods, and those senseless blocks which formed the disgusting effigies of their divinities, that food was scattered, which would have saved whole families from perishing with hunger.

The Brahminee bulls are generally about the size of calves of two