, but keeps these claws from
touching the ground, and enables the animal to draw them back into a
sheath. In aid of this, the sole of the foot, and each of the toes, has
a soft, elastic pad, or cushion under it, on which they walk, and as
they never set the heel to the ground, their footsteps are noiseless,
unless they choose them to be otherwise. It is with their formidable
claws, and still more formidable teeth, that they tear their prey to
pieces.

None of the Feline tribe will eat vegetables, unless domesticated, even
then but rarely; and in their wild state, unless pressed by hunger, they
will only eat what they themselves have killed. They have an abhorrence
of anything which is decomposed. The fur, with the exception of the
Lion's mane, and that of the cat, is short, close, and soft; capable,
when dressed, of receiving a high polish. Many are striped and spotted
with black, and the larger kinds, are generally of a warm, fulvous
colour. The domestic cat is, however, often white, black, gray, and
brindled; some leopards are black, and there is a small, beautiful wild
cat, marked like the panther. All are very wary and cunning, and seldom
face their foes. They lie in ambush for them, and suddenly spring upon
them, seeming to take a pleasure in prolonging their torments. They are
very sensible to caresses and affection, but a blow, or angry word,
rouses them to fury. They are certainly capricious, and sometimes
without any apparent cause burst into fits of ill temper, therefore are
by no means to be trusted, even in the midst of love and docility.

The backward carriage of his head, his majestic stride, and the
deliberate manner in which he looks at his enemy, have caused the Lion
to be called the king of beasts. He is only occasionally seen in the
forests, and inhabits plains, where rocks, or low jungle, afford him a
shelter. He, however, retreats before the advance of men, and has now
deserted many of those regions where he was once undisputed lord of the
country. The Lion of America is altogether different; therefore it may
be said, that only Central Asia, and almost all Africa are traversed by
him. Formerly the eastern boundary of Europe scarcely formed a limit to
his presence; the Arabian literature is full of allusions to him, and
the Holy Scriptures constantly attest his presence in Syria, during the
times in which they were written.

The beauty of the Lion's mane is well known. According to Mr. Gordon
Cumm