withstanding his portly dimensions, he is so far from appearing clumsy or unwieldy, that he may justly be regarded as a model' of strength and activity. 7. When provoked, he erects his mane, darts fire from his eye-balls, contracts the muscles of his cheeks and forehead into hid'eous wrinkles, shows his formidable teeth, and exhib'its a spectacle of savage grandeur, which beggars description. 8. His piercing eyes are furnished with a mem'brāne, which he can extend over them at pleasure, and which, perhaps, has given rise to the common opinion, that he always sleeps with his eyes open. 9. His teeth, which are disposed like those of the cat, arc extremely hard; his jaws are large and strong; and the prickles of his tongue are sufficiently sharp to la'cerate the skin of most animals. 10. As he puts his mouth to the ground when he roars, the sound is equally propagated to a considerable distance on all sides, so that it is impossible to discover the precise' spot whence it issues. 11. This circumstance increasing the alarm, the intimidated animals fly backwards and forwards; and, in the dark, they often run to the very place from which the noise proceeds, and which they are so anxious to avoid. 12. The lion is a native of the hottest parts of Asia, but more abounds in the interior of Africa, exercising his reign, over the weaker quadrupeds. 13. His habitation is usually in the thickest part of the forest; and he is seldom seen by day, as too much light is apt to incommode him; but, on the approach of night, he quits his den, and prowls about for prey, roaring hideously, and terrifying most of the animals within his hearing. 14. A single stroke of his paw will break a horse's neck; the sweet of his tail will throw a strong man on the ground; and he can carry off, with apparent ease, a middle-sized ox, or even a buffalo, when lightened of its entrails. 15. He does not openly attack any animal, unless provoked, or oppressed with hunger; but, in the latter case, he is said to fear no danger, and to be repelled by no resistance. 16. His usual method of taking his prey is, to spring, or throw himself on it, with one vast bound, from the place of his concealment it, however, he miss his aim, he seldom a'empts another spring at the same object, but deliberately returns to the thicket in which he lay in ambush. 17. When he seizes his victim, he knocks it down, and seldom bites it till he inflicts the mortal blow, which he generally accompanies with a tremeddous roar. He seems to prefer the flesh of a Hottentot to 2 ráin. 3 düz. 4 tré-men'-das Pron, model, not möd-dle. that of a European, probably because the former is not encumbered with clothes. 18. The horse, next to the Hottentot, is reputed his favourite prey; and the elephant and camel are both highly relished; while the sheep, owing, probably, to its woolly fleece, is seldom molested. With his trong teeth he breaks bones with the greatest ease; and ae often swallows their fragments along with the flesh. 19. When enraged, or goaded by famine, he rears his mane, and beats his tail against his back and sides, when it is extremely hazardous to approach him; but when the mane and tail are at rest, and the animal is in a placid mood, travellers may generally pass pretty near to him in perfect safety. 20. The female, though physically weaker, and, for the most part, more timid than the male, is more ferocious than he in defence of her young; making her incursions with greater boldness, destroying every animal that falls in her way, and carrying it, reeking, to her offspring. 21. When attacked in their presence, she seems to be insensible to her own wounds; and, with her head to the ground, and her eyes fixed on her assailants, she seldom fails either to save her progeny, or to perish in the conflict. LESSON XXII. 1. THE term tiger, in the Armenian language, is said literally to signify an arrow, and denotes the rapidity with which the animal, so denominated, bounds or darts on its prey. 2. The length of this quadruped, from the upper part of the fore'head to the origin of the tail, is about nine feet, and the height about four or five feet, which is, also, the length of the tail. 3. The prevailing colour of the body is a deep tawny, or orange-yellow; the face, throat, and lower part of the belly, are nearly white; and the whole is traversed by numerous long black stripes, forming a bold and striking contrast with the ground colour. 4. The tiger is a native of Asia, occurring from China and Chinese Tartary to Armenia, but chiefly frequent'ing the hot climates of India and the Indian Islands, particularly the hilly and wooded districts; lurking in jungles and thickets, from which it issues to spread its ravages all around, attacking the flocks and herds, unterrified by the sight or resistance of man, and closing even with the lion in such fierce en. counters, that the com'batants' have been known to fal. together. 5. When undisturbed, the tiger plunges his head into the body of his victim, and quaffs large draughts of blood, the sources of which are generally exhausted before his thirst is allayed. So prodigious, too, is his muscular strength, that he is capable of carrying off a dead buffalo, of nearly double the weight of a common ox. 6. In his native wilds, he conceals himself from view, and springs on his prey with a most hideous roar; but, if he miss his aim, he is apt, like the lion, to shrink away, without repeating the attempt. 7. Though he seldom makes an open attack on any creature that is capable of resistance, he seems to prefer men, when he can procure them by surprise, to any other prey. 8. In some parts of India, tigers are particularly fatal to woodcutters and labourers about the forests; and they have even been seen to swim out to boats at anchor, at a little distance from the shore, and drag off the men from on board. 9. As in Javă they frequently carry off travellers, when any person of consequence goes cut into the country, he is attended by men, who incessantly blow a sort of small French horns, the shrill sound of which is said to frighten them entirely away. 10. The number of persons killed by tigers, every year, in Sūmā'tra, is almost incredible; for there whole villages have at times been depopulated by them; whilst ideas of superstition, connected with the doctrine of transmigration, render the natives very remiss in their endeavours to destroy them. 11. The roar of the tiger is said to be tremendous, commencing with deep, slow, and melancholy inflections, then becoming more acute, and terminating in a violent cry, interrupted by long, tremulous intonations, which distract the imagination, especially when these roarings, which are uttered chiefly in the night, are reverberated by the echoes of the mountains. 12. When robbed of her young, the rage of the female knows no bounds; and, braving every danger, she will pursue the plunderer to the sea-shore, or into the gates of cities; and, when the hope of recovering her offspring is lost, she expresses her grief and indignation by the most fearful howlings. 13. Neither gentleness nor constraint has, it is alleged, hitherto succeeded in taming the full grown tiger, which seems to be scarcely sensible of the attentions of its keeper, 1 Pren. cum'-bat-ants. and would tear the hand that feeds, as well as that which insults or chastises it. LESSON XXIII. The Alligator and the Tiger.* 1. THE bosom of the river was extremely tranquil, and the heat, which was intolerable, had made us so languid, that almost a general wish overcame us, on the approach of the evening, to bathe in the waters of the Congo. 2. Johnson and myself, however, were deter'red from it by the apprehension of sharks, many of which, and those enormously large, we had observed in the progress of our voy'age. 3. At length, Campbell alone, who had been making too free with his liquor-case, was ob'stinately bent on going overboard; and, although we used every means in our power to persuade him to the con'trary, he dashed into the river, and had swum some dis'tance from the vessel, when we, on the deck, discov'ered an alligator making towards him from behind a rock, that stood a little way from the shore. 4. His escape' I now considered impossible, his destruction inĕ'vitable; and I asked Johnson what we should do. He, like myself, thought it impossible to save him, and instantly seized a loaded musket, to shoot the poor fellow before he should fall into the jaws of the monster. 5. I did not, however, consent to this, but waited with horror to see the tră'gedy that we anti'cipated Yet, willing to do all in my power, I ordered the boat to be let down, and we fired two shot at the approaching alligator, but without any effect. 6. They glanced off from his scales like hailstones from a slated roof, and the pro'gress of the creature was by no means impeded. 7. The report of the pieces, and the noise of the blacks from the sloop, soon made Campbell acquainted with his danger. He saw the creature pursuing him, and, with all the strength and skill that he was master of, he made for the shore. 8. And now the moment arrived, in which a scene was exhibited beyond the power of my pen ǎd'equately to dēscribe'. 9. As our friend approached within a very short distance 1 Pron. tare. boo'-zum. 3 lick'-ur. * An anecdote related by the captain of a Devonport Guineamau of some canes and shrubs, that covered the river's oank, the alligator being close upon his heels, a fierce tiger, that was crouching in the reeds, sprung towards him, at the instant that the jaws of his first enemy were open to devour him. 10. This was an awful moment for Campbell:-but he was preserved! The tiger, in his eagerness, leaping over him, encountered the gripe of the amphib'ious monster. A dreadful conflict ensued. 11. The water was coloured with the blood of the tiger, whose efforts to tear the scaly covering of the alligator were unavailing; while the latter had also the advantage of keeping his adversary under water, by which the victory was soon declared in the alligator's favour. 12. They both sunk to the bottom, and we saw no more of either. Campbell was taken into the boat, and instantly conveyed on board. He spoke not, while in the boat, although his fright had completely sobered him. 13. But, the moment he leaped on the deck, he fell on his knees, and returned thanks to the Prov'idence that had so wonderfully delivered him from his danger; and, what is most singular, from that moment to the time I am writing, he has never been seen in the least intoxicated, nor has he been heard to utter a single oath. If there ever was a man perfectly re formed, Campbell is the man. LESSON XXIV. The Elephant.-ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 1. THE elephant, a native of Asia and Africa, is the largest, the strongest, the mest saga'cious, and the most do cíle of all wild beasts. The usual height of this unsighty creature is from eight to twelve or fourteen feet. 2. The colour is nearly black; the eyes, which are very small, are lively, bright, and expressive; the ears are broad, and much longer, in proportion to the body, than those of the ass. 3. It has two long ivory tusks, thicker toward the head than a stout man's arm, and a trunk, which it can contracɩ or lengthen, as need requires. 4. The latter is as useful to the animal as our hands are to us. With this singular organ it can take up the smallest object; it serves itself with it; and, in case of an attack, fights with it. It can also untie knots ropes, and open and shut gates. of 5. The legs of this stupen'dous quad'ruped are like columns of from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, and from |