On Snowdon's rocks, or Orkney's wide domain,
Whose beetling cliffs o'erhang the western main ;
The royal bird his lonely kingdom forms

Amidst the gathering clouds and sullen storms;
Through the wide waste of air he darts his sight,
And holds his sounding pinions pois'd for flight;
With cruel eye premeditates the war,

And marks his destined victim from afar :
Descending in a whirlwind to the ground,
His pinions like the rush of waters sound;
The fairest of the fold he bears away,
And to his nest compels the struggling prey.
He scorns the game by meaner hunter's tore,
And dips his talons in no vulgar gore.
With lovelier pomp, along the grassy plain,
The silver pheasant draws his shining train:
Once on the painted banks of Ganges' stream
He spread his plumage to the sunny gleam;
But now the wiry net his flight confines,
He lowers his purple crest, and inly pines.

To claim the verse unnumber'd tribes appear
That swell the music of the vernal year:
Seiz'd with the spirit of the kindly spring,
They tune the voice, and sleek the glossy wing,
With emulative strife the notes prolong,
And pour out all their little souls in song.
When Winter bites upon the naked plain,
Nor food nor shelter in the groves remain,
By instinct led, a firm united band,

As marshall'd by some skilful general's hand,
The congregated nations wing their way
In dusky columns o'er the trackless sea;
In clouds unnumber'd annual hover o'er
The craggy Bass, or Kilda's utmost shore;

Thence spread their sails to meet the southern wind,
And leave the gathering tempest far behind;
Pursue the circling sun's indulgent ray,

Course the swift seasons, and o'ertake the day.

Mrs. Barbauld.

45. The Lion.

Considered; regarded. Regal'ity; royalty. Invin'cible; unconquerable. Type; emblem. Distinct'; marked. An'imated; living. Commenda'tion; praise. Sol'itary; lonely. Uni'ted; joint, combined. İntim'idate; frighten. Provoke'; rouse. Sen'sible; aware. Recedes'; goes back, retreats. Courageous; bold, daring. Disdains'; despises. Inconsid'erable; unimportant. Inconsid'erate; thoughtless. Pet'ulance;

sauciness.

THE lion has justly been considered in all ages as an emblem of regality; for which, the dignity of his nature, invincible courage, and magnanimity of his disposition, render him a proper type. His nature appears more distinct and noble than the other inferior genera of the brute creation. He seems to be of the same species, in whatever part of the world he is found; and to be distinguished by characters so deeply marked, that they can never be mistaken: and unlike most of the other orders of animated nature, cannot be brought to engender with creatures of another species, for none can be found of the slightest variety. His courage is great, and beyond commendation, when in his favourite wilds, the burning solitary sands of Zaara and Negro Land; here he neither dreads the united efforts of man or beast; numbers do not terrify him, nor wounds intimidate him, but rather provoke him to combat: the other beasts of the forest, sensible of his prowess, dread his presence; and he, conscious of his superior ability, never recedes from an attack. But, like other creatures, possessing most ferocious powers, muscular strength, and courageous spirit, he disdains to make mean or inconsiderable conquests; and is cruel from necessity only, and not from choice,

killing no more than he consumes; while the tiger, the wolf, and hyena, kill and destroy from a principle of cruelty, devour without mercy, and pursue inferior creatures without cause. The lion has even been known to forgive the insults of mean or inconsiderate creatures, and afford those protection who have teased him with their petulance. In a domestic state, he has often been known to spare the lives of animals thrown to him for prey, and afford them part of his own subsistence. When brought up with other domestic animals, he will not only live upon peaceable terms with them, but possess a partiality towards them. He is capable, when taken young, of being tamed to a considerable degree, and seldom fails in his affection towards his master, as is sufficiently evidenced by tame ones in every civilized part of Europe. He has been yoked to triumphal cars; taught the manœuvres of battle, and rendered serviceable therein; and contributed to the amusements of the chase. In a domestic state, he will even bear chastisement with patience, and perhaps prudence; and though his natural ferocity will sometimes break forth, it is seldom exerted against his feeder. It is, however, to be remembered, that his manners are naturally so fierce, that education will not at all times perfectly soften them regard should, therefore, always be paid to this; for instances have occurred, though seldom, of this creature retaliating injuries received, indiscriminately upon its friends as well as enemies.

The natural figure of this creature is striking, his looks bold, his countenance fierce, his gait stately, and his voice terrible. His stature and shape are at once compact, sizeable, and proportionate, indicating strength and agility, and destitute of that unwieldy awkward appearance pos

sessed by the ox, elephant, and rhinoceros. He has no superfluous parts in his composition, neither overloaded with fat nor flesh; but possesses proportionable and strong bones; brawny and flexible muscles; sharp tenacious claws, set in broad palmated feet; and very strong powerful teeth; possessing also a surprising degree of muscular strength in the under jaw. The very sight of him, when incensed, is sufficient to inspire the beholder with terror; his fierce look, sparkling eye, horrible grin, erect mane, and lashing tail (a single blow of which would knock down the strongest man) all evince his great destructive

powers.

:

His voice, as before observed, is loud and terrible, and in his native solitudes, re-echoed from the neighbouring mountains, resembles distant thunder. This tremendous roar is his ordinary voice: it is a prolonged cry, a kind of a deep-toned grumbling, mixed with a sharp vibrating noise he utters this voice generally five or six times aday, before rain, and when hungry. When enraged, he has a different kind of cry, which is a sort of a broken, interrupted growl, and is more dreadful than his ordinary roar; at these times he generally thrusts out his long tongue, which is armed with strong prickles, hard enough to lacerate the skin or flesh of any animal.

The sense of smelling in this creature is generally said to be less perfect than that of most other animals; and like all the feline kind, his eyes are incapable of bearing a strong light. For this reason he roams abroad for prey chiefly in the night: and as his eyes are formed for vision in the dark, pursues his prey more by sight than scent. He often follows the jackal or wild dog, when pursuing its prey; from whence has arisen the story

he

of the jackal being the lion's provider; though the lion be only an unwelcome intruder, to partake of the labours of these creatures.

The lion being so formidable and terrible a beast, is cautiously avoided by all his fellows of the forest; wherefore he is often obliged to use all his arts, and conceal himself with great circumspection in those parts, through which animals pass, in order to take them by surprise. In these situations he will lie close to the ground on his belly, with patient expectation, till his prey come within a proper distance, when, springing forward, sometimes fifteen or twenty feet at a bound, he generally seizes the victim at the first effort; but, if he happen to miss his aim, and cannot, after two or three reiterated springs seize it, he continues motionless for some time, as if affected with his disappointment, and waits a more favourable opportunity. When hard pressed with hunger, he boldly attacks every animal that comes in his way; but his most usual prey in the deserts and forests, consists of gazelles and monkies, which abound in all the torrid regions where this animal is found. But he is obliged to wait his opportunity for the latter animal, till it can be taken on the open ground, as he never chooses to ascend the trees after it. When regularly fed, he generally requires about fifteen pounds of raw flesh daily; and always prefers the flesh of live animals, particularly those which he kills himself. He generally devours as much at one time (when in his wild state,) as will serve him for two or three days. His teeth are very strong, and he erally devours all the small bones of the unfortunate victim who becomes his prey, and swallows them with the flesh. He seldom devours such carcasses as have begun to putrify ; and never re

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