Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 3 [October 1901] — John Shaqi
Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 3 [October 1901]Various
History
Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 3 [October 1901]
Various
Birds -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals
The family life of the Lion is very interesting and human. So far as is
known, a single male and female remain together year after year,
irrespective of the pairing season, the Lion feeding and caring for his
Lioness and cubs and educating the young in the duties of life. For two
or three years the cubs follow their parents, so that Lions are often
found in small troops. Cases have been reported where they have joined
for a preconcerted hunt, and the Lioness often goes up the wind to
startle game and drive it towards her ambushed mate, following after for
a share of the prey. Hon. W. H. Drummond, in “The Large Game and Natural
History of South and Southeast Africa,” gives the following account of
the feast after the victim had been slain: “The Lion had by this time
quite killed the beautiful animal, but instead of proceeding to eat it,
he got up and roared vigorously until there was an answer, and in a few
minutes a Lioness, accompanied by four whelps, came trotting up from the
same direction as the zebra, which no doubt she had been to drive
towards her husband. They formed a fine picture as they all stood round
the carcass, the whelps tearing it and biting it, but unable to get
through the tough skin. Then the Lion lay down, and the Lioness, driving
her offspring before her, did the same, four or five yards off, upon
which he got up and, commencing to eat, had soon finished a hind leg,
retiring a few yards on one side as soon as he had done so. The Lioness
came up next and tore the carcass to shreds, bolting huge mouthfuls, but
not objecting to the whelps eating as much as they could find. There was
a good deal of snarling and quarreling among these young Lions, and
occasionally a standup fight for a minute, but their mother did not take
any notice of them except to give them a smart blow with her paw if they
got in her way. There was now little left of the zebra but a few bones,
and the whole Lion family walked quietly away, the Lioness leading, and
the Lion often turning his head to see that they were not followed,
bringing up the rear.”
Dane Coolidge.
TROUTING BAREFOOT.
’Twas a holiday joy when I was a boy,
To follow the brook a-trouting,
’Twas gold of pleasure without alloy,
To trudge away through the livelong day—
Not a bite to eat, or a word to say,
And never a failing or doubting.
Then home at night in a curious plight—
Heavy and tired and hungry quite—
With a string of the “speckles” hung out of sight,
And a chorus of boyish shouting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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