accomplished, the entire troops had pushed away, and did not return. “The next night,” this enterprising traveller says, “was a memorable one, as being the first on which he had the satisfaction of hearing the majestic thunder of the lion’s roar.” There was no one near to tell him that this was the roar of a lion; but he seemed to know by instinct that it could be nothing else. This roar consists, at times, of a low, deep moaning, repeated five or six times, ending in faintly audible sighs; at other times, he startles the forest with loud, deep-toned, solemn roars, repeated five or six times, in quick succession, each increasing in loudness, to the third or fourth, when his voice dies away in five or six low, muffled sounds, very much resembling distant thunder. At times, a troop may be heard roaring in concert, one assuming the lead, and two, three, or four more regularly taking up their parts, like persons singing a catch; but on no occasion are their voices heard to such perfection as when two or three strange troops of lions approach a fountain to drink at the same time. When this occurs every member of each troop sounds a bold roar of defiance at the opposite parties; and when one roars all roar together, and each seems to vie with his comrades in the intensity and power of his voice. As a general rule, lions roar during the night; but in distant and secluded situations, they may be heard roaring as late as nine o’clock in the morning. It often happens that, when two male lions meet at a fountain, a terrific combat ensues, which not unfrequently ends in the death of one of them. [Illustration] The habits of the lion are strictly nocturnal. During the day, he lies concealed beneath the shade of some low, bushy tree, or wide-spreading bush, either in the level forest or on the mountain side. He is also partial to lofty reeds, or fields of long, rank, yellow grass. From these haunts he sallies forth when the sun goes down, and commences his nightly prowl. When he is successful in his beat and has secured his prey, he does not roar much that night, unless some rash intruders approach him, when the case will be very different. Lions are most active and daring during dark and stormy nights. Mr. Cumming noticed a fact with regard to their hour of drinking, which is worthy of record. They seem unwilling to visit the fountain during good moonlight. Thus, when the moon rose early, lions deferred their hour of watering until late in the morning; and when the moon rose late, they drank at a very early hour in the night. When a thirsty lion comes to the water, he stretches out his massive arms, lies down on his breast to drink, and makes a loud, lapping noise in drinking, not to be mistaken; he continues lapping up the water a long while, and four or five times during the process he pauses for half a minute, as if to take breath. One thing conspicuous about them is their eyes, which, in a dark night, glow like two balls of fire.