11. Although these bats have so great a predilection for the blood of animals, they are not restricted to so sanguinary a diet, but live chiefly on insects, which they capture on the wing. Indeed, they would have a meager diet were they to depend wholly on a supply of blood, for there are sufficient vampires in existence to drain the life-blood from man and beast.

12. Many other creatures have the same propensities,— happy if they can gratify them, satisfied if they are withheld from so doing. The common leech is a familiar example of a similar mode of life; for it may be that not one leech out of a thousand ever tastes blood at all, although they are so ravenously eager for it when they have an opportunity to gratify their sanguinary tastes.

the most sanguinary of the carnivorous order. They feed, except in rare cases on none but living victims, the palpitating flesh of which they rend to pieces with savage energy. Although the various species differ much in size, they are all alike in their mode of attacking, their method of contending with, and of ultimately killing their victims.

2. As a rule, they take them by surprise; for they are not possessed of that courage which people are pleased to attribute to them. Crouched in some hidden retreat, silently and patiently they await their prey; and as soon as within reach, they spring upon it from behind, without allowing time for escape or defence. In order to avoid dangerous. opposition, they seldom attack any but the most harmless animals. Hunger alone induces them to dart upon the first creature with which they come in contact; but, in this case, if they encounter resistance, their fury is com

mensurate.

3. If the impression made by the first sight of the lion be retained, it must be confessed that he is no usurper of the title "King of Beasts," which has been awarded him from the most ancient times. He carries his head high, and walks with a slowness which may well pass for gravity; his visage is calm and dignified and announces a full consciousness of his strength. The bushy and magnificent mane which overshadows his head and neck is an addition which confers on him an air of grandeur that commands

awe.

4. Some adult lions have attained a length of nearly ten feet, from the tip of the muzzle to the root of the tail; but, generally speaking, they do not exceed six to seven feet. With the exception of the mane and a tuft of hair at the end of the tail, the coat is entirely smooth, and of a nearly uniform tawny color. The female is distinguished by the absence of any mane, and by a smaller head; she is generally about one-fourth smaller than the male.

5. Buffon has drawn a magnificent portrait of the lion, which will ever remain one of the most beautiful passages in French literature. He attributes to it the good qualities

of courage, magnanimity, generosity, nobility of character, gratitude for kindness, and sensibility. Unfortunately,

this elaborate panegyric is fated to give way before observation.

6. As a rule, the lion does not hunt during the day; not that his eyes are unfitted for diurnal vision, but indolence and prudence keep him at home till evening. When the first shadows of twilight appear, he enters upon his campaign. If there is a pool in the vicinity of his haunt, he places himself in ambush on the edge of it, with the hope of securing a victim among the antelopes, gazelles, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, etc., which are led thither to slake their thirst. These animals well aware of this habit of their enemy, will not approach a pond without extreme cau

tion.

7. If one, however, places itself within reach of their terrible foe, its fate is generally sealed. One enormous bound enables the lion to spring on its back, and one blow with his paw breaks its back. If the lion misses his aim, he does not endeavor to continue a useless pursuit, well knowing that he cannot compete in speed with the children of the plains. He therefore skulks back into his hiding-place, to lie in ambush until some more fortunate chance presents itself, or complete nightfall shuts out all hope of success.

8. The lion, however, is not disposed to remain long with an empty stomach. Then it is that he approaches man's habitations, with the hope of surprising the domestic animals. Fences ten feet in height form no obstacle to him, for he will bound over them with ease, when, falling into the midst of the herd, he seizes the nearest. amount of strength which he manifests under such circum

The

stances is really extraordinary. A lion has been known at the Cape of Good Hope, to carry off a heifer as a cat would a mouse, and, with the burden, to leap a wide ditch.

It is almost impossible to conceive the muscular force necessary to jump a fence several feet high when carrying a load of several hundred-weight.

9. There is one important fact which has several times been observed. When the lion is hungry or irritated, he lashes his sides with his tail and shakes his mane. If, therefore, a traveler finds himself unexpectedly in the presence of a lion, he may know the brute's intentions, and can take precautions accordingly. If the tail does not move, the animal may be passed without fear; not only will he not spring upon you, but throwing a stone at him will suffice to drive him away. Under the reverse circumstances no time must be lost in seeking a place of refuge, unless you are in a position to commence a contest with arms, and then the more prompt and determined your action, the more successful will be the issue.

10. Because the lion seldom attacks any living creature when his appetite is satisfied, and because he is content with one victim at a time, some people have fancied that he is magnanimous. We might as well praise the abstemiousness of a man who has well fed. But few animals kill for the mere pleasure of killing. If some of the carnivora appear to contradict this, it may be because we are unable to appreciate their motives; with the progress of knowledge, their true characters may in future be better understood. It is also at present impossible for us to say that the lion is less irritable than other quadrupeds. The "King of Beasts" does not fear man; nevertheless, he treats him with respect, only attacking him in a case of urgent necessity, such as suffering from long abstinence, without a prospect of food.

11. While the lion kills an inferior animal without de