THE TIGER. 57
opportunities. On the evening of the 2zoth October 1816, a
lioness made her escape from a travelling menagerie which was
drawn up on the road-side, about seven miles from the town
of Salisbury. It was about eight o’clock, and quite dark, and
the Exeter mail was passing when the animal suddenly darted
forward, and springing at the throat of the off-leader, fastened
the talons of her fore-feet on each side of the neck, close to the
horse’s head, while those of the hind-feet were forced into the chest.
In this situation she hung, while the blood streamed from the
agonized creature, as if a vein had been opened by a lancet.
It may be easily supposed, that the alarm excited by this
encounter, was very great. Two inside passengers instantly
dashed out of the coach and fled to a house on the road~-
side. The keeper of the caravan came, and immediately set
a large Newfoundland dog on the animal. The lioness, on
finding herself seized by the leg, quitted the horse, and
turned upon the dog, which the spectators expected would
very soon become the victim of her fury; but she was
contented with giving him only a slight punishment, and
on hearing the voice of her keeper, retired under a
neighbouring straw rick, and gently allowed herself to be
secured. “This anecdote,” says the writer, “is remarkably
characteristic, the moment that the animal found herself at
liberty, and an object of prey presented itself, all her original
propensities, hitherto restrained, were instantly called into
action; but no sooner did the voice of her keeper reach her
ears, than the force of long habit prevailed, she became
calm, and allowed herself to be bound, and led again to
her den.”

The Tiger. The tiger is one of the most beautiful, but at
the same time one of the most rapacious and destructive of
the whole animal race. It is found in the warm climates of
the East, especially in India and Siam. It so much resembles
the cat, as almost to induce us to consider the latter a tiger
in miniature. It lurks generally near a fountain, or on the