in zoology, a genus of quadrupeds belonging to the order of ferae, the characters of which are these: The fore-teeth are equal; the molars or grinders have three points; the tongue is furnished with rough sharp prickles, and pointing backwards; and the claws are fleathed and retractile. This genus comprehends twenty-one species, viz.

I. The Leo, or Lion. The largest lions are from eight to nine feet in length, and from four to six feet high; those of a smaller size are generally about 5½ feet long, and about 3½ high. His head is very thick, and his face is befet on all sides with long bushy yellowish hair; this shaggy hair extends from the top of the head to below the shoulders, and hangs down to his knees; the belly and breast are likewise covered with long, long hair. The rest of the body is covered with very short hair, excepting a bush at the point of the tail. The ears are roundish, short, and almost entirely concealed under the hair of his front. The shagginess of the fore-part of his body makes the hinder-part have a naked appearance. The tail is long and very strong; the legs are thick and fleety; and the feet are short; the length of the claws is about an inch and a quarter, are of a whitish colour, very crooked, and can be extended or retracted into the membranous sheath at pleasure: their points are seldom blunted, as they are never extended but when he seizes his prey.

The female, or lioness, has no mane, or long hair about her head or shoulders; in her we see distinctly the whole face, head, ears, neck, shoulders, breast, &c. all these parts being in some measure concealed under the long hair of the male, give the female a very different appearance: besides, she is considerably less than the male. The hair of both male and female is of a yellowish colour, and whitish on the sides and belly.

In warm countries, quadrupeds in general are larger and stronger than in the cold or temperate climates. They are likewise more fierce and hardy; all their natural qualities seem to correspond with the ardour of the climate. The lions nourished under the scorching sun of Africa or the Indies, are the most strong, fierce, and terrible. Those of Mount Atlas, whose top is sometimes covered with snow, are neither so strong nor so ferocious as those of Biledulgerid or Zara, whose plains are covered with burning sand. It is in these hot and barren deserts, that the lion is the dread of travellers, and the scourge of the neighbouring provinces. But it is a happy circumstance that the species is not very numerous; they even appear to diminish daily. The Romans, says Mr Shaw, brought many more lions out of Libya for their public shows, than are now to be found in that country. It is likewise remarked, that the lions in Turkey, Persia, and the Indies, are less numerous than formerly. As this formidable and courageous animal makes a prey of most other animals, and is himself a prey to none, this diminution in the number of the species can be owing to nothing but an increase in the number of mankind; for it must be acknowledged, that the strength of this king of animals is not a match for the dexterity and address of a negro or Hottentot, who will often dare to attack him face to face, and with very slight weapons.

The ingenuity of mankind augments with their number; that of other animals continues always the same. All the noxious animals, as the lion, are reduced to a small number, not only because mankind are become more numerous, but likewise because they have become more ingenious, and have invented weapons which nothing can resist. This superiority in the numbers and industry of mankind, at the same time that it has broke the vigour of the lion, seems likewise to have enervated his courage. This quality, though natural, is exalted or lowered according to the good or bad success with which any animal has been accustomed to employ his force. In the vast deserts of Zara; in those which seem to separate two very different races of men, the Negroes and Moors, between Senegal and the boundaries of Mauritania; in those uninhabited regions above the country of the Hottentots; and, in general, all the meridional parts of Africa and Asia, where mankind have disdained to dwell, lions are still as numerous and as ferocious as ever. Accustomed to measure their strength by that of all other animals which they encounter, the habit of conquering renders them haughty and intrepid. Having never experienced the strength of man, or the power of his arms, instead of discovering any signs of fear, they disdain and set him at defiance. Wounds irritate, but do not terrify them: they are not even disconcerted at the sight of numbers. A single lion of the desert has been known to attack a whole caravan; and if, after a violent and obstinate engagement, he found himself weakened, he retreats fighting, always keeping his face to the enemy. On the other hand, the lions which live near the villages or huts of the Indians or Africans, being acquainted with man and the force of his arms, are so daftly as to fly and leave their prey at the sight of women or children.

This softening in the temper and disposition of the lion, shows that he is capable of culture, and susceptible, at least to a certain degree, of the impressions that he receives: accordingly, history informs us of lions yoked in triumphal chariots, trained to war, or the chase; and that, faithful to their masters, they never employed their strength or courage but against their enemies. It is certain, that a lion taken young, and brought up among domestic animals, will easily be accustomed to live and sport with them; that he is mild and careless to his master, especially when he is young; and that, if his natural ferocity sometimes breaks out, it is rarely turned against those who have been kind to him. But, as his passions are impetuous and vehement, it is not to be expected that the impressions of education will at all times be sufficient to balance them: for this reason it is dangerous to let him suffer hunger long, or to vex him by ill-timed teasing: bad treatment not only irritates him, but he remembers it long, and meditates revenge. On the other hand, he is exceedingly grateful, and seldom forgets benefits received. He has been often observed to disdain weak or insignificant enemies, to despise their insults, and to pardon their offensive liberties. When led into captivity, he will discover symptoms of uneasiness, without anger or peevishness: on the contrary, his natural temper softens, he obeys his master, cares for the hand that gives him food, and sometimes gives life to such animals as are thrown to him alive for prey: by this act of generosity he seems to consider himself as forever bound to protect them; he lives peaceably with them; allows them a part, and sometimes the whole, of his food; and will rather submit to the pangs of hunger, than fill his stomach with the fruit of his beneficence. We may likewise observe, that the lion is not a cruel animal: he kills rather from necessity than choice, never destroying more than he eats; and whenever his appetite is satisfied, he is mild and peaceable. For his ordinary subsistence, he requires about 15 pounds of raw flesh each day.

The aspect of the lion corresponds with the noble and generous qualities of his mind. His figure is respectable; his looks are determined; his gait is stately, and his voice tremendous. In a word, the body of the lion appears to be the best model of strength joined joined to agility. The force of his muscles is expressed by his prodigious leaps and bounds, often 20 feet at once; by the brisk motion of his tail, a single sweep of which is sufficient to throw a man to the ground; by the ease with which he moves the skin of his face, and particularly of his forehead; and, lastly, by the faculty of erecting and agitating the hair of his mane when irritated.

Lions are very ardent in their amours: when the female is in season, she is often followed by eight or ten males, who roar incessantly, and enter into furious engagements, till one of them completely overcomes the rest, takes peaceable possession of the female, and carries her off to some secret recesses. The lioness brings forth her young in the spring, and produces but once every year.

All the passions of the lion, the soft passion of love not excepted, are excessive; the love of offspring is extreme; the lioness is naturally weaker, less bold, and more gentle than the lion; but she becomes perfectly rapacious and terrible when she has young. Then she exhibits more courage than the male; she regards no danger; she attacks indifferently men and all other animals, kills them, and carries them to her young ones, whom she thus early instructs to suck their blood and tear their flesh. She generally brings forth in the most secret and inaccessible places; and, when afraid of a discovery, she endeavours to conceal the traces of her feet, by returning frequently on her steps, or rather by effacing them with her tail; and, when the danger is great, she carries off her young, and conceals them somewhere else. But, when an actual attempt is made to deprive her of her young, she becomes perfectly furious, and defends them till she be torn to pieces.

The lion seldom goes abroad in the middle of the day; but sallies forth in the evening and night in quest of prey. He is afraid of fire, and seldom or never approaches the artificial fires made by the shepherds for the protection of their flocks; he does not trace other animals by the scent, but is obliged to trust to his eyes. Many historians have even misrepresented him as incapable of finding out his prey; but that he is obliged to the jackal, an animal of exquisite scent, in order to provide for him, and that this animal either accompanies or goes before him for this purpose. The jackal is a native of Arabia, Libya, &c., and, like the lion, lives upon prey: perhaps sometimes he follows the lion, but it is with a view to pick up what he leaves behind, not to provide for him; for, being a small and feeble animal, he ought rather to fly from than to serve the lion.

The lion, when hungry, will attack any animal that presents itself; but he is so very formidable, that all endeavour to avoid his encounter; this circumstance often obliges him to conceal himself, and lie in wait till some animal chances to pass. He lies squat on his belly in a thicket; from which he springs with such force and velocity, that he often seizes them at the first bound. He endures hunger longer than thirst; he seldom passes water without drinking, which he does by lapping like a dog. In burning deserts, where rivers and fountains are denied, they live in a perpetual fever, a sort of madness fatal to every animal they meet with. The author of the Economy of Nature gives a wonderful proof of the instinct of these animals in those unwatered tracts. There the pelican makes her nest; and in order to cool her young ones, and accustom them to an element they must afterwards be conversant in, brings from afar, in their great gular pouch, sufficient water to fill the nest: the lion, and other wild beasts, approach and quench their thirst; yet never injure the unledged birds, as if conscious that their destruction would immediately put a stop to those grateful supplies.

The roaring of the lion, which is strong and loud, is his ordinary voice; but when he is irritated, his cry is shorter, repeated more suddenly, and is still more terrible than the roaring: besides, he beats his sides with his tail, stamps with his feet, erects and agitates the hair of his head and mane, moves the skin of his face, shows his angry teeth, and lolls out his tongue.

The roaring of the lion, according to Mr Sparman, "confits in a hoarse inarticulate sound, which at the same time seems to have a hollowness in it, something like that proceeding from a speaking trumpet. The sound is between that of a German u and an o, being drawn to a great length, and appearing as if it came from out of the earth; at the same time that, after listening with the greatest attention, I could not exactly hear from what quarter it came. The sound of the lion's voice does not bear the least resemblance to thunder, as M. de Buffon, tom. ix. p. 22, from the Voyage of Bouillaye le Gouz, affirms it does. In fact, it appeared to me to be neither peculiarly piercing nor tremendous; yet, from its slow prolonged note, joined with nocturnal darkness, and the terrible idea one is apt to form to oneself of this animal, it made one shudder, even in such places as I had an opportunity of hearing it in with more satisfaction, and without having the least occasion for fear. We could plainly perceive by our cattle when the lions, whether they roared or not, were reconnoitring us at a small distance. For in that case the hounds did not dare to bark in the least, but crept quite close to the Hottentots; and our oxen and horses figured deeply, frequently hanging back, and pulling slowly with all their might at the strong straps with which they were tied up to the waggon. They likewise laid themselves down upon the ground and stood up alternately, appearing as if they did not know what to do with themselves; or rather just as if they were in the agonies of death. It is, indeed, a wonderful circumstance (continues our author), that the brute creation should have been taught merely by nature to be in dread of the lion; for our horses and oxen were all from places where I am certain they could have no knowledge of this dreadful adversary of theirs; so that in this we must admire the bounty of Providence, which, while it has sent such a tyrant as the lion amongst the animal creation, has likewise taught them to discern and distinguish it with trembling and horror."

The gait of the lion is stately, grave, and slow, though always in an oblique direction. His movements are not equal or measured, but consist of leaps and bounds; which prevents him from stopping suddenly, and makes him often overleap his mark. When he leaps upon his prey, he makes a bound of 12 or 15 feet, falls above it, seizes it with his fore-feet, tears the flesh with his claws, and then devours it with his teeth. If he chances to miss his leap, he will not, as the Hottentots unanimously assured Mr Sparman, follow his prey any farther; but, as though he were ashamed, turning round towards the place where he lay in ambush, slowly, and step by step, as it were, measures the exact length between the two points, in order to find how much too short of, or beyond, the mark he had taken his leap.

One would suppose that the roaring of the lion would prove serviceable to the other animals, as being a warning for them to betake themselves to flight; but as when he roars, according to all report, he puts his mouth to the ground, so that the sound is diffused equally all over the place, without, as we have already mentioned, its being possible to hear from what quarter it comes, the animals are intimidated and scared to such a degree, as to fly about backwards and forwards in the dark to every side; in consequence of which, they often chance to run on to the very spot from whence the sound actually proceeds, and which they meant most to avoid.

Dr Sparman, in his account of the lion, detracts considerably from the character of courage and generosity generally ascribed to that animal. "It is not in magnanimity (says he), as many will have it to be, but in an insidious and cowardly disposition, blended with a certain degree of pride, that the general character of the lion consists; though hunger must naturally have the effect of now and then inspiring so strong and nimble an animal with uncommon intrepidity and courage. Moreover, being accustomed always itself to kill its own food, and that with the greatest ease, as meeting with no resistance, and even frequently to devour it reeking and weltering in its blood, it cannot but be easily provoked, and acquire a greater turn for cruelty than for generosity: but, on the other hand, not being accustomed to meet with any resistance, it is no wonder that, when it does, it should sometimes be faint-hearted and crest-fallen. A yeoman, a man of veracity (Jacob Kok, of Zeekoei-river), related to me an adventure he had in these words:—One day walking over his lands with his loaded gun, he unexpectedly met with a lion. Being an excellent shot, he thought himself pretty certain, in the position he was in, of killing it, and therefore fired his piece. Unfortunately he did not recollect, that the charge had been in it for some time, and consequently was damp; so that his piece hung fire, and the ball falling short, entered the ground close to the lion. In consequence of this he was seized with a panic, and took directly to his feet; but being soon out of breath, and closely pursued by the lion, he jumped up on a little heap of stones, and there made a stand, presenting the butt-end of his gun to his adversary, fully resolved to defend his life as well as he could to the utmost. My friend did not take upon him to determine, whether this position and manner of his intimidated the lion or not: it had, however, such an effect upon the creature, that it likewise made a stand; and what was still more singular, laid itself down at the distance of a few paces from the heap of stones seemingly quite unconcerned. The sportsman, in the mean while, did not dare to stir a step from the spot: besides, in his flight, he had the misfortune to lose his powder-horn. At length, after waiting a good half hour, the lion rose up, and at first went very slowly, and step by step, as if it had a mind to steal off; but as soon as it got to a greater distance, it began to bound away at a great rate."

Our author also relates the following occurrence, as serving to show the cowardice and insidious disposition of the lion. "An elderly Hottentot in the service of a Christian, near the upper part of Sunday river on the Cambdebo side, perceived a lion following him at a great distance for two hours together. Thence he naturally concluded, that the lion only waited for the approach of darkness, in order to make him his prey: and in the mean time, could not expect any other than to serve for this fierce animal's supper, inasmuch as he had no other weapon of defence than a stick, and knew that he could not get home before it was dark. But as he was well acquainted with the nature of the lion, and the manner of its seizing upon its prey, and at the same time had leisure between whiles to ruminate on the ways and means in which it was most likely that his existence would be put an end to, he at length hit on a method of saving his life. For this purpose, instead of making the best of his way home, he looked out for a kilikran (to they generally call a rocky place level and plain at top, and having a perpendicular precipice on one side of it), and fitting himself down on the edge of one of these precipices, he found, to his great joy, that the lion likewise made a halt, and kept the same distance as before. As soon as it grew dark, the Hottentot sliding a little forwards, let himself down below the upper edge of the precipice upon some projecting part or cleft of the rock, where he could just keep himself from falling. But in order to cheat the lion still more, he set his hat and cloak on the stick, making with it at the same time a gentle motion just over his head, and a little way from the edge of the mountain. This crafty expedient had the desired success. He did not stay long in that situation, before the lion came creeping softly towards him like a cat, and mistaking the skin-cloak for the Hottentot himself, took his leap with such exactness and precision, as to fall headlong down the precipice, directly close to the snare which had been set up for him; when the Hottentot is said, in his great joy, exultingly to have called out 'kayfi! an interjection of very extensive import and signification."

This is not the only instance of lions in Africa being ensnared in the midst of their leap. In the out-houses and waste grounds about farms, where a lion has been upon the watch for some animal and missed it, or where they have other reasons to expect him, they set up the figure of a man close by the side of several loaded guns; so that these discharge themselves into the body of the beast at the very instant that he springs or throws himself upon the disguised figure. As this is done with so much ease and success, and as they hardly ever think it worth while in Africa to take lions alive, they seldom give themselves the trouble of catching them by means of pit-falls.

"It is singular (Dr Sparman remarks), that the lion, which, according to many, always kills his prey immediately if it belongs to the brute creation, is reported frequently, although provoked, to content him- self with merely wounding the human species; or at least to wait some time before he gives the fatal blow to the unhappy victim he has got under him. In several places through which I passed, they mentioned to me by name a father and his two sons, who were said to be still living, and who being on foot near a river on their estate in search of a lion, this latter had rushed out upon them, and thrown one of them under feet: the two others, however, had time enough to shoot the lion dead upon the spot, which had lain almost across the youth so nearly and dearly related to them, without having done him any particular hurt. I myself saw, near the upper part of Duyven-hoek-river, an elderly Hottentot, who at that time (his wounds being still open) bore under one eye and underneath his cheek-bone the ghastly marks of the bite of a lion, which did not think it worth his while to give him any other chastisement for having, together with his master (whom I also knew) and several other Christians, hunted him with great intrepidity, though without success. The conversation ran everywhere in this part of the country upon one Bota, a farmer and captain in the militia, who had lain for some time under a lion, and had received several bruises from the beast, having been at the same time a good deal bitten by him in one arm, as a token to remember him by; but, upon the whole, had in a manner had his life given him by this noble animal. The man was said then to be living in the district of Artaquas-kloof. I do not rightly know how to account for this merciful disposition towards mankind. Does it proceed from the lion's greater respect and veneration for man, as being equal to, or even a mightier tyrant than, himself among the animal creation? or is it merely from the same caprice which has sometimes induced him not only to spare the lives of men or brute creatures who have been given up to him for prey, but even to care for them, and treat them with the greatest kindness? Whims and freaks of this kind have perhaps in a great measure acquired the lion the reputation it has for generosity; but I cannot allow this specious name, sacred only to virtue, to be lavished upon a wild beast. Slaves, indeed, and wretches of servile minds, are wont with this attribute to flatter their greatest tyrants; but with what show of reason can this attribute be bestowed upon the most powerful tyrant among quadrupeds, because it does not exercise an equal degree of cruelty upon all occasions? That the lion does not, like the wolf, tiger, and some other beasts of prey, kill a great deal of game or cattle at one time, perhaps proceeds from this, that while he is employed in attacking one or two of them, the remainder fly farther than it accords with the natural indolence of this beast to follow them. If this be called generosity, a cat may be styled generous with respect to the rats; as I have seen this creature in the fields among a great number of the latter, where she could have made a great havoc at once, seize on a single one only, and run off with it. The lion and the cat, likewise, very much resemble each other, in partly sleeping out, and partly passing away in a quiet inactive state, a great part of their time, in which hunger does not urge them to go in quest of their prey."

The lion's strength, as already observed, is very great. Mr Sparman informs us, that "this animal was once seen at the Cape to take an heifer in his mouth, and though the legs of this latter dragged on the ground, yet seemed to carry her off with the same ease as a cat does a rat. It likewise leaped over a broad dike with her, without the least difficulty. A buffalo, perhaps would be too cumbersome for this beast of prey, notwithstanding his strength, to seize and carry off with him in the manner above mentioned. Two yeomen, upon whose veracity I can place some confidence, gave me the following account relative to this matter. Being a hunting near Bolshieman-river with several Hottentots, they perceived a lion dragging a buffalo from the plain to a neighbouring woody hill. They, however, soon forced it to quit its prey, in order to make a prize of it themselves; and found that this wild beast had had the sagacity to take out the buffalo's large and unwieldy entrails in order to be able the easier to make off with the fleshy and more eatable part of the carcase. The lion's strength, however, is said not to be sufficient alone to get the better of so large and strong an animal as the buffalo; but, in order to make it his prey, this fierce creature is obliged to have recourse both to agility and stratagem; inasmuch, that stealing on the buffalo, it fastens with both its paws upon the nostrils and mouth of the beast, and keeps squeezing them close together, till at length the creature is strangled, wearied out, and dies. A certain colonist, according to report, had had an opportunity of seeing an attack of this kind; and others had reason to conclude, that something of this nature had passed, from seeing buffaloes, which had escaped from the clutches of lions, and bore the marks of the claws of these animals about their mouth and nose. They asserted, however, that the lion itself risked its life in such attempts, especially if any other buffalo was at hand to rescue that which was attacked. It was said, that a traveller once had an opportunity of seeing a female buffalo with her calf, defended by a river at her back, keep for a long time at bay five lions which had partly surrounded her; but did not, at least as long as the traveller looked on, dare to attack her. I have been informed, from very good authority, that on a plain to the east of Kromme-river, a lion had been gored and trampled to death by a herd of cattle; having, urged probably by hunger, ventured to attack them in broad day-light." This the reader will, perhaps, not so much wonder at, when he is told, that in the day-time, and upon an open plain, 12 or 16 dogs will easily get the better of a large lion. Nor is there any necessity, Dr Sparman says, for the dogs with which the lion is to be hunted to be very large and trained up to the sport, as M. Buffon thinks they should be, the business being perfectly well accomplished with the common farm-house dogs. When these have got pretty near the lion, the latter, from a greatness of soul, does not offer to fly any farther, but fits himself down. The hounds then surround him, and rushing on him all at once, are thus, with their united strength, able to tear in pieces, almost in an instant, the strongest of all wild beasts. It is said, that he has seldom time to give more than two or three slight strokes with his paws (each of which strokes is instant death) to an equal number of his assailants. M. de Buffon asserts also, that the lion may be hunted on horseback, but that the horses as well as the dogs must must be trained to it. Dr Sparman, however, assures us, that the colonists hunt the lion with common hunting horses.

It is said, that horses in battle, or in other dangerous enterprizes, suffer themselves more willingly to be caparisoned by their riders than at other times. This circumstance Dr Sparman likewise remarked in these animals on the above expeditions. "Our horses (says he), the very same as had several times, in the manner above mentioned, shewn their disquietude when the lion happened to be in the vicinity of them, and which were not in the least trained to the chace, once exhibited a spirit in the pursuit of two large lions, equal to that which they had shown at other times in chasing the timid gazels; though, in fact, hunting horses seem to partake much more of their master's pleasure in the chace. I remember, in particular, at Agter Bruntjes Hoogte, I rode a horse, which, by a tremendous sound issuing from its chest, cocking up its ears, and prancing and capering, discovered, in an unequivocal manner, its ardour for the chace, whenever it came in sight of the larger kind of game. There have ever been instances of hunting horses, who, when the hunter has jumped off their backs in order to discharge his piece, but has missed his mark, have in their eagerness for the chace, not allowed him time sufficient to mount again, but followed the game alone for hours together, close at its very heels, in all its turnings and windings."

The chace of the lion on horseback is carried on at the Cape in the following manner, as described by Dr Sparman.

"It is only on the plains that the hunters venture to go out on horseback in this chace. If the lion keeps in some coppice or wood, on a rising ground, they endeavour to seize it with dogs till it comes out; they likewise prefer going together two or more in number, in order to be able to assist and relieve each other, in case the first shot should not take place. When the lion sees the hunters at a great distance, it is universally allowed that he takes to his heels as fast as he can, in order to get out of their sight; but if they chance to discover him at a small distance from them, he is then said to walk off in a sulky manner, but without putting himself in the least hurry, as though he was above showing any fear, when he finds himself discovered or hunted. He is therefore reported likewise, when he finds himself pursued with vigour, to be soon provoked to resistance, or at least he desists any longer to fly. Consequently he slackens his pace, and at length only slides slowly off, step by step, all the while eying his pursuers askant; and finally makes a full stop, and turning round upon them, and at the same time giving himself a shake, roars with a short and sharp tone, in order to show his indignation, being ready to seize on them, and tear them in pieces. This is now precisely the time for the hunters to be upon the spot, or else to get as soon as possible within a certain distance of him, yet so as at the same time to keep a proper distance from each other; and he that is nearest, or is most advantageously posted, and has the best mark of that part of the lion's body which contains his heart and lungs, must be the first to jump off his horse, and, securing the bridle by putting it round his arm, discharge his piece; then in an instant recovering his seat, must ride obliquely athwart his companions; and, in fine, giving his horse the reins, must trust entirely to the speed and fear of this latter, to convey him out of the reach of the fury of the wild beast, in case he has only wounded him, or has absolutely missed him. In either of these cases, a fair opportunity presents itself for some of the other hunters to jump off their horses directly, as they may then take their aim and discharge their pieces with greater coolness and certainty. Should this shot likewise miss (which, however, seldom happens), the third sportsman rides after the lion, which at that instant is in pursuit of the first or the second, and, springing off his horse, fires his piece, as soon as he has got within a proper distance, and finds a sufficiently convenient part of the animal present itself, especially obliquely from behind. If now the lion turns upon him too, the other hunters turn again, in order to come to his rescue with the charge which they loaded with on horseback, while they were flying from the wild beast. No instance has ever been known of any misfortune happening to the hunters in chasing the lion on horseback. The African colonists, who are born in, or have had the courage to remove into the more remote parts of Africa, which are exposed to the ravages of wild beasts, are mostly good marksmen, and are far from wanting courage. The lion that has the boldness to seize on their cattle, which are the most valuable part of their property, sometimes at their very doors, is as odious to them as he is dangerous and noxious. They consequently seek out these animals, and hunt them with the greatest ardour and glee, with a view to exterminate them."

II. The Tigre, or Tiger. The size of this animal, according to some authors, is larger, and, according to others, somewhat less, than the lion. M. de la Landemagon affirms us, that he has seen a tiger in the East Indies 15 feet long, including undoubtedly the length of the tail, which, supposing it to be four feet, makes the body of the tiger about 11 feet in length. The skeleton preserved in the cabinet of the French king, indicates that the animal was about seven feet long from the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail; but then it must be considered, that he was caught young, and lived all his days in confinement. The head of the tiger is large and roundish; and the ears are short, and at a great distance from each other. The form of the body has a great resemblance to that of the panther. The skin is of a darkish yellow colour, striped with long black streaks; the hair is short, excepting on the sides of the head, where it is about four inches long. The point of the tail is black, and the rest of it is interlaced with black rings. His legs and claws resemble those of the lion, only the legs are much shorter in proportion to the size of the animal.

The tiger is more ferocious, cruel, and savage than the lion. Although gorged with carnage, his thirst for blood is not appeased; he seizes and tears in pieces a new prey with equal fury and rapacity, the very moment after devouring a former one; he lays waste the country he inhabits; he neither dreads the aspect nor the weapons of men; puts to death whole troops of domestic animals; and attacks young elephants, rhinoceroses, and sometimes even braves the lion himself. The tiger seems to have no other instinct, but a constant thirst after blood, a blind fury which knows no bounds or distinction, and which often stimulates him to devour his own young, and to tear the mother in pieces for endeavouring to defend them. He lies in wait on the banks of rivers, &c., where the heat of the climate obliges other animals to repair for drink. Here he seizes his prey, or rather multiplies his massacres; for he no sooner kills one animal, than he flies with equal fury upon the next, with no other view but to plunge his head into their bodies and drink their blood. However, when he kills a large animal, as a horse or a buffalo, he sometimes does not tear out the entrails on the spot; but, to prevent any interruption, he drags them off to the wood, which he performs with incredible swiftness. This is a sufficient specimen of the strength of this rapacious animal.

Neither force, restraint, or violence, can tame the tiger. He is equally irritated with good as with bad treatment: he tears the hand which nourishes him with equal fury, as that which administers blows: he roars and is enraged at the sight of every living creature. Almost every natural historian agrees in this horrible character.

There is a sort of cruelty in their devastations, unknown to the generous lion; as well as a politeness in their sudden retreat on any disappointment. "I was informed (says Mr Pennant) by very good authority, that in the beginning of this century, some gentlemen and ladies, being on a party of pleasure, under a shade of trees, on the banks of a river in Bengal, observed a tiger preparing for its fatal spring; one of the ladies, with amazing presence of mind, laid hold of an umbrella, and furling it full in the animal's face, which instantly retired, and gave the company opportunity of removing from so terrible a neighbour." Another party had not the same good fortune: a tiger darted among them while they were at dinner, seized on one gentleman, and carried him off, and he never was more heard of." The tiger attacks all sorts of animals, even the lion; and it has been known that both have perished in their combats. There is in some parts of India a popular notion, that the rhinoceros and the tiger are in friendship, because they are often found near each other. But according to Mr Pennant, the fact is, that the rhinoceros, like the hog, loves to wallow in the mire; and on that account frequents the banks of rivers: the tiger, to quench its raging thirst, is met with in places contiguous to them.

Pliny has been frequently taken to task by the moderns, for calling the tiger *animal tremenda velocitatis*: they allow it great agility in its bounds, but deny it swiftness in pursuit. Two travellers of authority, however, both eye-witnesses, confirm what Pliny says: the one indeed only mentions in general its vast fleetness; the other saw a trial between one and a swift horse, whose rider escaped merely by getting in time amidst a circle of armed men. The chase of this animal was a favourite diversion with the great Cambis, the Chinese monarch, in whose company our countryman Mr Bell*, that faithful traveller, and the Pere Gerbillon, saw these proofs of the tiger's speed.

The tiger, according to Mr Pennant, is peculiar to Asia; and is found as far north as China and Chinefe Tartary, and about lake Aral and the Altaic mountains. It inhabits mount Ararat and Hyrcania, of old famous for its wild beasts; but the greatest numbers, the largest, and the most cruel, are met with in India and its islands. In Sumatra the natives are so infatuated that they seldom kill them, having a notion that they are animated by the souls of their ancestors.

The tiger has always been a more rare animal than the lion; and yet brings forth an equal number of young, namely, four or five at a litter. The female is furious at all times; but, when her young are attempted to be taken from her, her rage is redoubled: she braves every danger; she pursues the ravishers, who are obliged, when hard pressed, to drop one of the young in order to retard her motion; she stops, takes it up, and carries it into some secret part of the forest; but the instantly returns and pursues the hunters into their villages or boats.

The tiger moves the skin of his face, grinds his teeth, and roars, like the lion; but the sound of his voice is different.

III. The *Pardus*, or Panther.—It is about the size of a large dog, and has a great resemblance to a domestic cat. The tongue is rough, and remarkably red; the teeth are strong and sharp; the skin is exceedingly beautiful, being of a yellow colour, variegated with roundish black spots, and the hair is short. It has a cruel and ferocious aspect; his motions are brisk and lively; his cry resembles the growl of an enraged dog, but is more strong and rough.

The panther inhabits Africa, from Barbary to the remotest parts of Guinea. This species is next in size to the tiger; next to it in cruelty, and in its general enmity to the animal creation: it is to Africa what the former is to Asia, with this alleviation, that it prefers the flesh of brutes to that of mankind; but when deprived of hunger, attacks every living creature without distinction. Its manner of taking its prey is the same with that of the tiger, always by surprise, either lurking in thickets or creeping on its belly till it comes within reach: it will also climb up trees in pursuit of monkeys and lesser animals; so that nothing is secure from its attacks. He is not so perfectly ungovernable as the tiger: but, notwithstanding all attempts to render him obedient and tractable, he may rather be said to be subdued than tamed; for he never entirely loses his natural ferocity. Accordingly, when kept with a view to the hunting of bucks, goats, or other animals, great care is necessary in training him, and still greater in conducting him. When leading out to the field, they put him in a cage and carry him on a cart. When the game is sprung, they open the door of the cage; he instantly springs towards the animal, often seizes him in a few bounds, throws him to the ground, and strangles him. But, if he happens to miss his aim, he becomes mad with rage, and sometimes falls upon his master, who, in order to prevent accidents of this kind, generally carries along with him pieces of flesh, or perhaps a lamb or a kid, which he throws to him in order to appease his fury.

The ancients were well acquainted with these animals. These, and the leopards, were the *Varia* and *Pardi* of the old writers: one should think that the Romans would have exhausted the deserts of Africa by the numbers they drew from thence for their public shows. Scaurus exhibited at one time 150 panthers; Pompey Pompey the Great, 410; Augustus, 420. Probably they thinned the coasts of Mauritania of these animals, but they still swarm in the southern parts of Guinea.—Oppian describes two species of panthers, a large species and a small one; the first of which has a shorter tail than the latter, and may possibly be this kind.—An animal of this species is found in Buccharia, called there Badr: it is seven feet long, very destructive to horses, and even camels; the skin is fine, and valued in Russia at 1l. Sterling.—In China there is a most remarkable kind, called there Louchu, whose skins sell at 6l. Sterling a-piece. It must here also be observed, that there are in the furriers shops in London, skins in most respects resembling those of the panther; which, they assure us, come from the Spanish settlements in the West Indies: These skins equal those of the old continent in beauty and size.

Though M. Buffon denies the panther to be an inhabitant of America, yet Mr Pennant is of opinion that the same, or a variety at least, inhabits that country. 1. The figure of the species described by Faber, (Hist. An. Nov. Hipp. p. 498,) under the name of Tigris Mexicana, agrees exactly with that of the panther, as does also the description in general. 2. Every other animal of this genus, which has yet been discovered in America, is far inferior in size and strength to this; whose common height, Faber says, is four or five feet, and whose prey is wild cattle, horses, &c. M. Condamine, and Le Pere Cajetan Cattaneo, speak of the tigers (i.e. the panthers) of America, as equal and even superior in size to those of Africa, and the colour as bright as gold; and Ulloa describes them as big as little horses. 3. Notwithstanding the vendors of furs are not entirely to be relied on as to the countries their goods come from, yet the general opinion of the whole trade, that these skins were the product of Spanish America, is a further proof of their being common to both continents.

IV. The Onca, or Once, is less than the panther; the tail is longer; the hair is likewise longer, and of a whitish grey colour. The once is easily tamed; and is employed in hunting in several parts of Asia, where dogs are very scarce. He has not the delicate scent of a dog; does not trace other animals by the smell; neither can he run them down in a fair chase; but lies in wait for their approach, and then darts upon them unawares. He leaps so nimbly, that he easily clears a ditch or a wall several feet high; besides, he often climbs trees, waits till some animal passes, and instantly leaps upon them. This method of catching their prey, is practised by the panther and leopard, as well as by the once.—The once inhabits Barbary, Persia, Hyrcania, and China; from which last place the skins are brought into Russia, and sold for 20s. a-piece. It is an animal of a more gentle and mild nature than most of the preceding. It is, like the next species, used for the chase of antelopes, and even hares; but, instead of being conveyed in a waggon, is carried on the crupper or horshack. It is under as much command as a setting-dog; returns at the least call, and jumps up behind its master. This animal is supposed to be the lesser panther of Oppian, and the panthera of Pliny.

V. The Leopardus or Leopard, differs from the panther and the once, in the beauty of his colour, which is a lively yellow, with smaller spots than those of the two latter, and disposed in groups. He is larger than the once, and less than the panther. He inhabits Senegal and Guinea; and spares neither man nor beast. When beasts of chace fail, the leopards descend from the internal parts of Africa in crowds, and make great havoc among the numerous herds that cover the rich meadows of the lower Guinea. It tears its prey to pieces with both claws and teeth; but is always thin, though perpetually devouring. The panther is its enemy, and destroys numbers of them. The negresses make collars of their teeth, and attribute to them certain virtues. The negroes take these animals in pit-falls, covered at the top with slight hurdles, on which is placed some flesh as a bait. They make a banquet of their flesh, which is said to be as white as wax, and very well tasted. Leopards skins are often brought to Europe, and reckoned very valuable. In Asia these animals are found in the mountains of Caucasus, from Persia to India; and also in China, where they are called Pouchi. By the Bucharian traders, who often bring their skins to Russia, they are styled Bars. The leopard inhabits also Arabia, where it is called Nemir. We are informed by Mr Forskal, that in that country, as well as in Egypt, it will do no harm to man unless provoked; but will enter houses by night, and destroy the cats.

VI. The Ocelot, or American Tiger, (the Jaguar of Buffon), is of a bright tawny colour; the top of the back marked with long stripes of black; the sides with rows of irregular oblong spots; open in the middle, which is of the ground-colour of the hair: the thighs and legs are marked with full spots of black, the breast and belly whitish: the tail not so long as the body. This species, which grows to the size of a wolf, and even larger, inhabits the hottest parts of South America, from the isthmus of Darien to Buenos Ayres. It is fierce, and destructive to man and beast. Like the tiger, it plunges its head into the body of its prey, and sucks out the blood before it devours it. It makes a great noise in the night, like the howling of a hungry dog; and is a very cowardly animal. It is easily put to flight, either by the shepherds dogs, or by a lighted torch, being very fearful of fire. It lies in ambush near the sides of rivers; and there is sometimes seen a singular combat between this animal and the crocodile. When the jaguar comes to drink, the crocodile, ready to surprise any animal that approaches, raises its head out of the water; upon which the former instantly strikes its claws into the eyes of this dreadful reptile, the only penetrable part, who immediately dives under the water, pulling his enemy along with it, where they commonly both perish.

VII. The Pardalis, Mexican panther, or the Ocelot of Buffon, has its head, back, upper part of the rump, and tail, of a bright tawny; a black stripe extending along the top of the back, from head to tail; and from the nostrils to the corners of the eyes, there also runs a stripe of black; the sides are whitish, marked lengthways with long stripes of black, hollow and tawny in the middle, in which are sprinkled some small black spots; the legs are whitish, varied with small black spots; and the tail is also varied with small spots near its base, and larger near the end, which is black. It is above four times the size of a large cat, and strongly... strongly made. It inhabits Mexico, the neighbourhood of Carthagena, and Brazil. It lives in the mountains; and is very voracious, but fearful of mankind; preying on young calves, and different sorts of game. It lurks amidst the leaves of trees; and sometimes will extend itself along the boughs as if dead, till the monks, tempted by their natural curiosity, approaching to examine it, become its prey.

VIII. The Jubata, or Hunting Leopard, (Guepard Buff.) is of the size of a large greyhound, of a long make, with a narrow chest and long legs. The colour of the body is a light tawny brown marked with numbers of small round black spots; the neck is shaggy, and the tail is longer than the body. It inhabits India; where it is tamed, and trained for the chase of antelopes. For this purpose it is carried in a small kind of waggon, chained and hoodwinked, till it approaches the herd; when first unchained, it does not immediately make its attempt, but winds along the ground, stopping and concealing itself till it gets a proper advantage, and then darts on the animals with surprising swiftness. It overtakes them by the rapidity of its bounds; but if it does not succeed in its first efforts, consisting of five or six amazing leaps, it misses its prey; losing its breath, and finding itself unequal in speed, it stands still, gives up the point for that time, and readily returns to its master. This species is called in India, Chittah. It is used for the taking of jackals, as well as other animals.

IX. The Dicolor, or Black Tiger, (Cougar Noir, Buff.), is covered with short very glossy hairs of a dusky colour; the throat, belly, and inside of the legs, white. It grows to the size of a heifer of a year old, and has vast strength in its limbs. It inhabits Brazil and Guiana; and is a cruel and fierce beast, but happily is a scarce species.

X. The Concolor, or Puma (Cougar, Buff.) has a very small head, ears a little pointed, and eyes large. The back, neck, rump, sides, are of pale brownish red, mixed with dusky hairs; the breast, belly, and inside of the legs, cinereous. The tail is dusky and ferruginous, the tip black; and the teeth are of a valet size. It is long bodied, and high on its legs; the length from nose to tail five feet three inches, of the tail two feet eight. This animal inhabits the continent of America, from Canada to Brazil; in South America is called Puma, and by Europeans mistaken for the lion. It is the scourge of the colonies of the hotter parts of America, being fierce and ravenous to the highest degree. It swims over the broad rivers; attacks the cattle in the very inclosures; and when pressed with hunger, spares not even mankind. In North America their fury seems to be subdued by the rigor of the climate; and the smallest cur, in company with its master, makes them seek for security, by running up trees; but then they are equally destructive to domestic animals, and are the greatest nuisance the planter has; when they lay in wait for the moose, or other deer, they lie close on the branch of some tree till the animal passes beneath, when they drop upon and soon destroy them. They also make wolves their prey; in the Museum of the Royal Society, there is the skin of one which was killed just as it had pulled down a wolf. When it has satisfied itself with eating, it carefully conceals the rest of the carcase, covering it with leaves; if any other touches the relics, it never comes near them again. It sometimes purs like a cat, and at other times makes a great howling. The fur is soft, and of some value among the Indians, who cover themselves with it during winter; and who also eat the flesh, which is said to be as good and as white as veal.

XI. The Tigrina, or Margay of Buffon, is about the size of a common cat. The upper part of the head, the neck, back, sides, shoulders, and thighs, are of a bright tawny-colour; the face is striped downwards with black; the shoulders and body are marked with stripes and oblong large black spots; the legs with small spots; the thighs are whitish, spotted with black; the tail is very long, marked with black, tawny and grey. It inhabits South America, where it lives on the feathered game and on poultry. It is untameable. It makes a noise like the common cat; lives much in trees; is very active, and goes by bounds or leaps. It brings forth in all seasons of the year, in hollow trees, and has two at a time.

XII. The Capensis, Cape Tiger, or Tiger-cat of tiger-cat, the Cape, is the Njoff of Labat, who was the first who noticed this species, which he describes as "of the size of a dog, with a coat as much striped and varied as that of a tiger. Its appearance bespeaks cruelty, and its eyes fierceness; but it is cowardly, and gets its prey only by cunning and insidious arts." All these characters are perfectly applicable to the Cape cat; and it seems the animal is found in all parts of Africa, from Congo to the Cape of Good Hope, in an extent of country of about eleven degrees of latitude. Kolben also speaks of a tiger bush-cat, which he describes as the largest of all the wild cats of the Cape countries, and as spotted something like a tiger. A skin of this animal was seen by Mr Pennant in a furrier's shop in London, who thought it came from the Cape of Good Hope; from this skin Mr Pennant gave the first description which could be of any utility to a natural historian. All the other authors mention this animal in a vague manner. When Dr Forder touched the second time at the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1775, an animal of this species was offered him to purchase; but he refused buying it because it had a broken leg, which made him apprehensive of losing it by death during the passage from the Cape to London. It was very gentle and tame. It was brought in a basket to his apartment, where he kept it above 24 hours; which gave him the opportunity of describing it more accurately than had hitherto been done, and of observing its manners and economy. These he found to be perfectly analogous to those of our domestic cats. It ate fresh raw meat, and was very much attached to its feeders and benefactors; tho' it had broke the fore leg by accident, it nevertheless was very easy. After it had been several times fed by our author, it soon followed him like a tame favourite cat. It liked to be stroked and caressed; it rubbed its head and back always against the person's cloths who fed it, and desired to be made much of. It purred as our domestic cats do when they are pleased. It had been taken when quite young in the woods, and was not above eight or nine months old; but had already very nearly, if not quite, attained its full growth. The Doctor was told, that the tiger-cats live in mountainous and woody tracts; and that in their wild state they are very great destroyers of hares, rabbits, verbas, young antelopes, lambkins, and of all the feathered tribe. A very particular technical description of this species is given in the Phil. Trans. vol. 71. p. 4, with a figure, which the reader will see copied among other species in our plates.

XIII. The Catua, or Cat.

1. The ferox, or wild cat, is three or four times as large as the house cat; the head larger, and the face flatter. The teeth and claws are tremendous; its muscles very strong, as being formed for rapine: the tail is of moderate length, but very thick, marked with alternate bars of black and white, the end always black: the hips and hind part of the lower joints of the legs are black: the fur is very soft and fine. The general colour of these animals is of a yellowish white, mixed with a deep grey: these colours, though they appear at first sight confusedly blended together, yet on a close inspection will be found to be disposed like the streaks on the skin of the tiger, pointing from the back downwards, rising from a black list that runs from the head along the middle of the back to the tail.

This animal, with us, may be called the Brijt tiger. It is the fiercest and most destructive beast we have; making dreadful havoc among our poultry, lambs, and kids. It inhabits the most mountainous and woody parts of these islands, living mostly in trees, and feeding only by night. It multiplies as fast as our common cats; and often the females of the latter will quit their domestic mates, and return home pregnant by the former.

They are taken either in traps or by shooting: in the latter case, it is very dangerous only to wound them; for they will attack the person who injured them, and have strength enough to be no despicable enemy. Wild cats were formerly reckoned among the beasts of chase; as appears by the charter of Richard II. to the abbot of Peterborough, giving him leave to hunt the hare, fox, and wild cat. The use of the fur was in lining of robes: but it was esteemed not of the most luxurious kind; for it was ordained, "that no abbess or nun should use more costly apparel than such as is made of lambs or cats' skins." In much earlier times it was also the object of the sportsman's diversion.

This animal is the stock or origin of the domestic cat in all its varieties.—It inhabits the woods of most parts of Europe, but none are found in the vast woods of Russia or Siberia. It dwells with the common lynx in all the wooded parts of the mountains of Caucasus and their neighbourhood; and is most destructive to lambs, kids, fawns, and to all sorts of feathered game.

2. The domesticus, or tame cat, is so well known, that it requires no description. It is an useful, but deceitful domestic. Although when young they are playful and gay, they possess at the same time an innate malice and perverse disposition, which increases as they grow up, and which education learns them to conceal, but never to subdue. Constantly bent upon theft and rapine, though in a domestic state, they are full of cunning and dissimulation; they conceal all their designs; seize every opportunity of doing mischief, and then fly from punishment. They easily take on the habits of society, but never its manners; for they have only the appearance of friendship and attachment. This disingenuity of character is betrayed by the obliquity of their movements and the ambiguity of their looks. In a word, the cat is totally destitute of friendship; he thinks and acts for himself alone. He loves ease, searches for the softest and warmest places to repose himself. The cat is likewise extremely amorous; and, which is very singular, the female is more ardent than the male: she not only invites, but searches after and calls upon him to satisfy the fury of her desires; and, if the male disdains or flies from her, she pursues, bites, and in a manner compels him. This heat of passion in the females lasts but nine or ten days, and happens twice in the year, namely, in the spring and autumn; however, in some it happens thrice or four times in the year. The female goes with young 55 or 58 days, and generally produces four or five at a litter. As the male has an inclination to destroy the young, the female takes care to conceal them from him; and, when she is apprehensive of a discovery, she takes them up in her mouth one by one, and hides them in holes or inaccessible places. When she has nursed a few weeks, she brings them mice, small birds, &c., in order to learn them to eat flesh. But it is worth notice, that these careful and tender mothers sometimes become unnaturally cruel, and devour their own offspring.

The cat is incapable of restraint, and consequently of being educated to any extent. However, we are told, that the Greeks in the island of Cyprus trained this animal to catch and devour serpents, with which that island was greatly infested. This, however, was not the effect of obedience, but of a general taste for slaughter; for he delights in watching, attacking, and destroying all kinds of weak animals indifferently. He has no delicacy of scent, like the dog; he hunts only by the eye; neither does he properly pursue; he only lies in wait, and attacks animals by surprise; and after he has caught them, he sports with and torments them a long time, and at last kills them (when his belly is full), purely to gratify his sanguinary appetite.

The eye of the cat differs greatly from that of most other animals. The pupil is capable of a great degree of contraction and dilatation. It is narrow and contracted like a line during the day, round and wide in the dark. It is from this conformation of the eye that the cat sees best in the night, which gives him a great advantage in discovering and seizing his prey.

Although cats live in our houses, they can hardly be called domestic animals; they may rather be said to enjoy full liberty; for they never act but according to their own inclination. Besides, the greatest part of them are half wild: they do not know their masters; and frequent only the barns, out-houses, &c., unless when pressed with hunger.

Cats have a natural antipathy at water and cold. They likewise hate bad smells; but they have an affection for certain aromatic smells, and are transported with the root of the valerian.

Cats take about 18 months before they come to their full growth; but they are capable of propagation in 12 months, and retain this faculty all their life, which generally extends to nine or ten years. They eat slowly, and are peculiarly fond of fish. They drink frequently; their sleep is light; and they often assume the appearance of sleeping, when in reality they are meditating mischief. They walk softly, and without making any noise. noise. As their hair is always dry, it easily gives out an electrical fire, which becomes visible when rubbed across in the dark. Their eyes likewise sparkle in the dark like diamonds.—The cat, when pleased, purrs, and moves its tail; when angry, it spits, hisses, and strikes with its foot. It washes its face with its forefoot (Linnaeus says, at the approach of a storm): it always lights on its feet: it is even proverbially tenacious of life.

Our ancestors seem to have had a high sense of the utility of this animal. That excellent prince Hoel dda, or Howel the Good, did not think it beneath him (among his laws relating to the prices, &c., of animals*), to include that of the cat; and to describe the qualities it ought to have. The price of a kitten before it could see was to be a penny; till it caught a mouse, two-pence; when it commenced mouling, four pence. It was required besides, that it should be perfect in its senses of hearing and seeing, be a good mouser, have the claws whole, and be a good nurser: but if it failed in any of these qualities, the seller was to forfeit to the buyer the third part of its value. If any one stole or killed the cat that guarded the prince's granary, he was to forfeit a milch-cow, its fleece and lamb; or as much wheat as, when poured on a cat suspended by its tail (the head touching the floor), would form a heap high enough to cover the tip of the former. This last quotation is not only curious, as being an evidence of the simplicity of ancient manners, but it almost proves to a demonstration, that cats are not aborigines of these islands, or known to the earliest inhabitants. The large prices set on them (if we consider the high value of furs, specie at that time†), and the great care taken of the improvement and breed of an animal that multiplies so fast, are almost certain proofs of their being little known at that period.

b, The Angorensis, or cat of Angora, with hair of a silvery whiteness and silky texture, and very long, especially about the neck, where it forms a fine ruff. It is a large variety; found about Angora, the same country which produces the fine-haired goat. It degenerates after the first generation in our climate. A variety of this kind is found in China with pendulous ears, of which the Chinese are very fond, and ornament their necks with silver collars. They are cruel enemies to rats, and supposed to be the domestic animals which the Chinese call fumixi.

c, The Hippianicus, or tortoise-shell cat, has the hair varied with black, white, and orange.

d, The Cæruleus, or blue cat, a variety of a dun colour, or greyish black. It is much cultivated in Siberia on account of its fine fur; but was brought there, as well as the other domestic kinds, by the Russians.

e, The Ruber, or wild red cat of Kolben, has a streak of bright red running along the ridge of the back to the tail, and losing itself in the grey and white on the sides. The skins are said to give ease in the gout, and are much valued on that account at the Cape.

XIV. The Manul, with the tail longer than that of the domestic cat, beset thickly with hair, and of an equal thickness in all parts; encircled with ten black rings, the three next to the tip almost touching one another, the rest more remote. It is about the size of a fox. The limbs are very robust; in which, and in colour, this animal greatly resembles a lynx, afterwards described. It inhabits all the middle part of northern Asia, from the Yaik, or Ural as it is now called, to the very Amur. It loves open, woodless, and rocky countries, and preys on the lesser quadrupeds.

XV. The Lynx is about 2½ feet long and 15 inches high. He has a great resemblance to the common cat; but his ears are longer, and his tail is much shorter: his hair is streaked with yellow, white, and black colours. The lynx inhabits the vast forests of the north of Europe, Asia, and America. His eyes are brilliant, his aspect is soft, and his air is gay and sprightly. Like the cat, he covers his urine with earth; he howls something like the wolf, and is heard at a considerable distance; he does not run like the dog or wolf, but walks and leaps like a cat; he pursues his prey even to the tops of trees; neither wild cats nor squirrels can escape him; he lies in wait for flags, goats, hares, &c., and darts suddenly upon them; he seizes them by the throat and sucks their blood, then opens the head and eats the brain; after this, he frequently leaves them, and goes in quest of fresh prey. The colour of his skin changes according to the season or the climate; the winter furs are more beautiful than those of summer. These furs are valuable for their softness and warmth: numbers are annually imported from North America, and the north of Europe and Asia; the farther north and east they are taken, the whiter they are, and the more distinct the spots. Of these the most elegant kind is called irlys, whose skin falls on the spot for one pound Sterling. The ancients* celebrated the quickness of the lynx's sight; and feigned that its urine viii. 8. xxviii. 8. was converted into a precious stone.

XVI. The Serval, has the upper part of the body of a dusky colour, interspersed with round black spots; the belly, and the orbits of the eye, are white. This animal, which is very fierce and untameable, inhabits the woods in the mountainous parts of India; where it lives in trees, and breeds in them. It scarcely ever descends on the ground; but leaps with great agility from tree to tree. It is called by the natives of Malabar the maragueté, by the Portuguese the serval.

XVII. The Chaus, or Caspian Lynx, has a round head, a little more oblong than that of the common cat; shining reflexive eye, with a most brilliant golden pupil; ears erect, oval, and lined with white hairs, their outside reddish, their summits tufted with black. The hairs are coarser than those of the cat or common lynx, but less so than those of the wolf. They are shortest on the head, but on the top of the back are above two inches long. The colour of the head and body is a yellowish brown: the breast and belly of a bright brown nearly orange. The tail reaches only to the flexure of the leg; is thick and cylindric; of the same colour with the back, tipped with black, and thrice obscurely annulated with black near the end. In general appearance it has the form of the domestic cat. Its length is 2½ feet from the nose to the base of the tail: its tail little more than 11 inches: its height before is 19 inches; behind, 20. It is sometimes found larger, there being instances of its reaching the length of 3 feet from the nose to the tail. This animal, which has been but lately discovered, inhabits the reeds and woods in the marshy parts that border on the western side of the Caspian Sea, particularly about the castle Killar on the river Terek. Felis Terek, and in the Persian provinces of Ghilan and Mafenderan, and frequent about the mouth of the Kur, the ancient Cyrus.—In manners, voice, and food, it agrees with the wild cat. It conceals itself in the day, and wanders over the flooded tracks in search of prey; feeding on rats, mice, and birds, but seldom climbing trees. It is excessively fierce, and never frequents the haunts of mankind. It is so impatient of captivity, that one which was taken in a trap, and had a leg broken, refused for many days the food placed by it; but in its fury devoured the fractured limb, with pieces of the stake it was fastened to, and broke all its teeth in the phrensy of its rage.

XVIII. The Caracal, Sivah Ghush, or Persian Lynx, with a lengthened face and small head; very long, slender ears, terminated with a long tuft of black hairs; small; the upper part of the body is of a very reddish brown; and the belly and breast are whitish; the limbs are strong and pretty long; and the tail is about half the length of the body. These animals inhabit Persia, India, and Barbary; where they are often brought up tame, and used in the chase of lesser quadrupeds, and the larger sort of birds, such as cranes, pelicans, peacocks, &c., which they surprise with great address. When they seize their prey, they hold it fast with their mouth, and lie for a time motionless on it. They are said to attend the lion, and to feed on the remains of the prey which that animal leaves. They are fierce when provoked: Dr Charleton says, he saw one fall on a hound, which it killed and tore to pieces in a moment, notwithstanding the dog defended itself to the utmost.—The Arabian writers call it anak el ard; and say, that it hunts like the panther, jumps up at cranes as they fly, and covers its steps when hunting.

The Libyan Lynx is a variety, with short black tufts to the ears, which are white within, and of a lively red without; the tail white at the tip, annulated with four black rings, with black marks behind the four legs. It is greatly inferior in size to the former; not larger than a common cat. It inhabits both Libya and Barbary.

XIX. The Rufa, or Bay Lynx, with a short tail, yellow irides, and upright sharp-pointed ears, tufted with long black hairs: the colour of the head, back, sides, and exterior parts of the legs, bright bay, obscurely marked with dusky spots: from beneath each eye certain long black stripes, of an incurvated form, mark the cheeks; which, with the upper and under lip, whole under side of the body, and insides of the legs, are white: the upper part of the tail is barred with dusky strokes; and next the end, one of a deep black; its tip and under side are white. This animal, which is about twice the bigness of a large cat, inhabits the inner parts of the province of New York.

XX. The Canadian Lynx, with pale yellow eyes, and erect ears tufted with black long hair. The body is covered with soft and long fur, cinereous tinged with tawny, and marked with dusky spots, more or less visible in different subjects, dependent on the age or season in which the animal is killed: the legs are strong and thick; the claws large. It is about three times the size of a common cat; the tail is only four inches long, tipped with black. This species inhabits the vast forests of North America. It is called in Canada le chat-cervier, or le loup-cervier, on account of its being so destructive to deer; which it drops on from the trees, like the puma, and, fixing on the jugular vein, never quits its hold till the exhausted animal falls through loss of blood. The English call it a wild cat. It is very destructive to their young pigs, poultry, and all kind of game. The skins are in high esteem for the softness and warmth of the fur; and great numbers are annually imported into Europe.

XXI. The Mountain Lynx, or Cat-a-mountain, upright pointed ears, marked with two brown bars; with the head and upper part of the body of a reddish brown, with long narrow stripes of black; the sides and legs with small round spots: the chin and throat are of a clear white; the belly of a dull white. The length of the animal, from nose to tail, is two feet and a half; of the tail, eight inches. It inhabits North America; and is said to be a gentle animal, and to grow very fat.

PELL (Dr John), a very learned English divine and bishop, entered a student at Christ-church, Oxford, 1626. In 1648, he was ejected by the parliamentary visitors, being then in holy orders; and from that time to the restoration lived at Oxford a retired and studious life. He was installed canon of Christ-church, July 1660; and the year following, dean of that church; in which places he did great services to the college, and reformed several abuses. He was consecrated bishop of Oxford in 1675; and had leave to hold his deanship in commendam, that he might continue his services to the college and university. He published several works, and died in 1686.