The generosity of the Lion has been much extolled; but the tales related of it appear to have had no other foundation than the fact, that, like many other beasts, when gorged with food he will not attack a man. A great amount of courage has also been so generally ascribed to him that the expression “as brave as a Lion,” has become proverbial, and he has been regarded as a sort of symbol of that quality. For this respectable character, the Lion is no doubt mainly indebted to his possession of a mane, and to the boldness of appearance produced by his carrying his head elevated; for in all other respects he is a genuine cat, with neither more nor less courage than belongs to the cats in general. As the Lion belongs to the cat tribe, his eyes are incapable of bearing a strong light; it is therefore generally in the night that he prowls about for prey, and when the sun shines in his face, he becomes confused and almost blinded. Lion hunters are aware of this fact. In the day-time they always consider themselves safe, so long as they have the sun on their backs. In the night, a fire has nearly the same effect; and travellers in Africa and the deserts of Arabia can generally protect themselves from Lions and Tigers by making a large fire near their sleeping-place. The strength of the African species is so great that he has been known to carry away a young heifer, and leap a ditch with it in his mouth. The power that man may acquire over this animal has been often shown in the exhibitions of Van Amburgh, Carter, and others; but the attachment which Lions sometimes form for their keepers, was never more strongly exemplified than in the following anecdote.