It is a remarkable fact that lions in travelling menageries are generally in a much better state of health than those which spend their lives in stationary cages, such as at the Zoological Gardens. A very extraordinary malformation or defect has frequently occurred among the lions born during the last twenty years in the Gardens. This imperfection consists in the roof of

palatal bones do not meetthe mouth being open—the the animal i&, therefore, unable to suck, and consequently dies. This abnormal condition has not been confined to the young of any one pair of lions; but many lions* that have been in the Gardens, and not in any way related to each other, have from time to time produced these malformed young, the cause of which has hitherto never been explained.

The cubs, I understand, born in travelling menageries are not so much subject to this infantile deformity. Lions, dead or alive, are always valuable. All museums take lions, some the skin, some the skeleton, some the viscera. He is a good typical beast. When dead a lion is worth from 2/. to 20/. Alive lion is worth from 50/. to 350/. for a full-grown fine beast. Sometimes the market is glutted with lions.* They mostly come from Algeria, the lion hunters shoot the parents, and send the cubs over via Marseilles.

This was the case during the war between Austria and Prussia. Lions were then very cheap.

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PERFORMING LIONS,

In January 1861, the London streets were placarded with large diagrams, representing the “ Lion Conqueror with his trained group of Performing Lions.” They were on exhibition at Astley’s Theatre, and of course I at once paid them a visit. Many of my readers recollect Yan Amburgh and his cageful of lions, but I think Mr. Crockett and his magnificent beasts was a far

better performance. Whereas in olden days coercion and force seemed to be the order of the day, we now see that these powerful representatives of the cat tribe are amenable to kind treatment and firmness; the days of hot pokers and carters’ whips are passed, and a common jockey’s riding-whip is the magic wand by means of which the lords of the forest are- subjected to the will of a man whose physical strength to theirs is as that of a mouse when in the clutches of our domestic puss.

I hear that the old-fashioned way of causing lions and other wild beasts to have a wholesome dread of a hot poker was to allow the animal to burn himself

once with a red-hot poker. The lion-tamer then covered the end of a stick with red sealing-wax, and this the animals carefully avoided, thinking it was a red-hot poker. Of course, without some little story, Crockett’s per- j forming lions could not be effectively brought on the stage. When I came into the theatre, there was a beautiful young lady on the stage, in great distress at being lost in a desert. To add to her alarm, the lions were heard roaring in the distance; at that moment the “ Lion Tamer ” appears from one side of the stage, and from the other a very fine, black-maned African lion, free and unchained, bounds out with those beautiful elastic springs so peculiar to his race. For a moment we doubt what is going to happen; when the ungallant lion, disregarding the beautiful princess, raises his huge body up into the air, and falls upon the neck of his master, whose head he considerably overtops when standing on his hind legs. In this seeming affectionate embrace the two—the lion and the man—walk round the stage, giving time for the princess to run for it. The Lion Tamer all this time (I observe through an opera glass) has a firm hold on his pet by means of a strong collar round the neck and under the head of the

mane, so that the beast cannot well get loose if he tries. The lion’s face on his master’s shoulder is most absurd and comical; it is like that of an enormous cat in doubt

rung jung’s excuse. 228

whether to be angry or pleased; but the weight of the beast must be tremendous, for Crockett has enough to do to hold him up, and he seems right glad when the curtain begins to fall, and he can let the lion down in

his natural position. Then comes more of the story, in which one “ Eung Jung,” a comical, half-witted character, is caught, and told with solemnity that he shall be devoured “ in the den of famished lions,” upon which the unfortunate excuses himself, “ as he is all skin and bone, and the lions will not enjoy him,” and begs “ time to get fat.”

The next scene is the lions’ home in the desert; and when the curtain draws up we see the lion asleep on a bank, his master by his side. The “ terrible ” effect is rather taken off from this scene when we see the poor, good-natured lion, blinking, with half-closed eyes, at the glaring footlights, and trying to stare at the people beyond, the tip of his tail all the time just moving gently up and down, like that of the cat when warming

herself before the fire. The climax comes when the Eajah commands his rival to be cast into the den, when a substitute, in the person of Mr. Crockett, the Lion Tamer, fortunately appears. His offer to sacrifice himself for u Eung Jung’s ” benefit being accepted, he opens a door at the top of the cage, and pops into a good-sized den, containing three lions and a lioness.

2M crogkett’s performances.

The moment he was in the den, I could see the tempers of the animals. There was the old black-maned African lion, the tamest of the lot, and the best performer too. Next, a lion nearly his size, an easy* going beast of the same species. Thirdly, an Asiatic lion, the fool of the party, not over-good-tempered, who does not half relish being tamed. Lastly, the lioness, a regular savage vixen, who retired with open jaws and snarling lips into a corner, and swore and spat at the Lion Tamer whenever she had a chance. With a small hand-whip, the master makes his beasts (even the lioness) perform sundry tricks, which must have cost him much time and patience to teach, and, I should imagine, have placed him often in great danger; for woe be to him if the lions should agree to get up a family quarrel, and make a party against him. I saw him put his head and face into the lion’s gaping mouth, which nearly concealed it in its enormous abyss: a feat which must require great confidence, not only in the temper of the lion

operated on, but in the other animals also, for the attention of the master is for a moment withdrawn from them. Altogether, Mr. Crockett achieved a great triumph over his three lions and his lioness; his feats were gone through without unnecessary parade and show, and he has taught us what kindness and firmness will do with these magnificent, but at times dangerous animals.^

I am sorry to say that since this was penned poor Crockett

A few days after my visit as above described, a sad accident happened with these very lions, and in this very theatre. In the grey of the morning of January 14, an unfortunate stable-helper, ordinarily known by the name of “ Jarvey,” went through a wicket-gate into the theatre to perform his duties of raking the sawdust of the arena of the theatre. A few minutes after he had been in the theatre, a man in the stable close by heard a terribly cry, and some one exclaimed that a a lion had got Jarvey.” He wisely sent off for Mr. Crockett at once. On his arrival in a few minutes Crockett seized a two-pronged fork, and went into the theatre, through the wicket-gate, and there he saw that his lions were not in their cage, but loose. Two lions were on the stage free as the day, and playing with the garlands left by an actress; the big lioness was up in the Queen’s box, with her paws on the front of it, gazing out as proudly as possible; and near the stable-door, and about six feet from the gates, lay the man u Jarvey,” the lion sitting over him, as a dog sits over a bone.

Seeing this, Mr. Crockett advanced boldly up to this murderous lion, and struck him a tremendous blow over the head near the nose, at the same time rating him

has died. I know not the cause of his death, except that it wa3 in no way connected with his lions; nor do I know what lias become of his valuable collection of trained lions.

SER. III. Q

most severely. The lion sneaked off at once; Crockett then boldly rushed after the lioness and the other lion, threatening them with his pitchfork, and abusing them most vehemently. The brutes, knowing their master and fearing him, at once sneaked back to their cage, and jumping in, lay dowrn looking as though they knew they had done wrong. Crockett shut the door fast and returned to the assistance of poor u Jarvev.” In spite of all that the best medical attendance and care could do, the poor man died soon afterwards. The lions’ fearful attack had been too much for him.

The reader might like to know how the lions got out of their cage. Crockett at the inquest stated that he was quite certain that he had locked the cage-door quite securely the previous night—that one of the panels which inclosed the iron cage had somehow got loose, and hung loose in front of the cage; one or more of the lions had then probably put out his paw and seized a bit of cloth lying on the top of a cage close by, in which a sick lion was confined; and in pulling it through the bars of the door with their talons so as to get it into their cage, they must have broken the door down altogether by pulling it inwards.

The door had been fastened with two shot bolts and two spring bolts, but a large portion of the side of the cage was torn in, and the piece of cloth was found in the cap* The lions, he thought, had wrenched the

jarvey’s wounds. 227

door by pulling it inwards, and had made their escape when it was opened. Upon hearing of the above accident, I immediately went down to the scene of the catastrophe, and by the kindness of Mr. Miskin, of York Road, Lambeth, the surgeon who gave evidence at the inquest, I was enabled personally to make the post mortem examination of the man who was killed, and with him to record the notes which appeared in the papers.

It will probably interest the reader, to read some remarks on the nature of the wounds, and on the probable way, judging from these wounds, in which the lion seized the man. The first thing observable on the body were a number of wounds (no less Jian twenty-seven in number) about the left side of the neck, whereas there were only eight on the right side. These wounds were peculiar in shape, tapering towards the two ends, and broad in the middle, indicating that they had been produced by a tearing, but yet cutting instrument. They were cat-scratches, in fact, only highly magnified. One of the claws had penetrated the ear, and had nearly torn it from the skull. The direction of these scratches was downwards and backwards, indicating that the animal had seized hold of his victim from behind, and pulled him down. I account for there being so many more wounds on the left than on the right side by assuming that the lion (as is its habit) cuffed him

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