Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of AnimalsLee, R., Mrs.
General
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals
Lee, R., Mrs.
Animal behavior -- Juvenile literature
"Our comrade had sustained no other injury than a scratch upon the back,
and a severe bruise, and we renewed the chase. We found the enemy
standing at bay under a mimosa tree. The dogs barked round him, but were
afraid to approach; for he growled fiercely, and brandished his tail in
a manner that showed he meditated mischief. The Hottentots, by taking a
circuit, reached a precipice above him, another party of us occupied a
position on the other side of the glen, so that the lion was between two
fires; he became confused, we battered away at him, and he fell, pierced
with many wounds. He appeared to be full grown, and six years old,
measuring eleven feet from the nose to the tip of the tail. His fore
leg, below the knee, was so thick, that I could not span it with both
hands; his head was almost as large as that of an ordinary ox. His
flesh, which I had the curiosity to taste, resembled very white, coarse
beef, and was insipid rather than disagreeable."
The ensuing histories are from Mr. Gordon Cumming's pen;--"A buffalo was
wounded, and two hunters in pursuit of him were joined by three lions,
who also gave chase, and getting before the gentlemen sprang upon the
buffalo. The latter, being very large, struggled much; the hunters fired
upon the lions, and as each ball struck, the latter seemed to think the
blood which flowed came from the buffalo's bones; consequently, two were
easily secured, but the third had the sense to walk away.
"The Oryx sometimes fights the lion, and is victorious; but the bodies
have been seen lying close together, the lion having been pierced
through by the horns of the gemsbok, and as he could not draw them out
again, each died from the mortal blow inflicted by, at least, one of
them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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