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1. The lion is often called the "king of beasts," His height varies from
three to four feet, and he is from six to nine feet long. His coat is of
it yellowish brown or tawny color, and about his neck is a great shaggy
mane which gives his head a majestic appearance.
2. The strength of the lion is so great that he can easily crush the
skulls of such animals as the horse or ox with one blow of his paw. No one
who has not seen the teeth of a full grown lion taken out of their sockets
can have any idea of their real size; one of them forms a good handful,
and might easily be mistaken for a small elephant's tooth.
3. The home of the lion is in the forests of Asia and Africa, where he is
a terror to man and beast. He generally lies concealed during the day, but
as darkness comes on he prowls about where other animals are accustomed to
go for food or drink, and springs upon them unawares, with a roar that
sounds like the rumble of thunder.
4. The lion sometimes lives to a great age. One by the name of Pompey died
at London, in the year 1760, at the age of seventy years.
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