So I threw him some fresh clover , and went on to the pelicans . I never knew before what handsome birds they were ; not graceful , but with such snowy plumage , tinged with pale pink and faint yellow . They had just had their bath , and stood arranging their feathers with their great bills , uttering a queer cry now and then , and nodding to one another sociably . When fed , they gobbled up the fish , never stopping to swallow it till the pouches under their bills were full ; then they leisurely emptied them , and seemed to enjoy their lunch with the grave deliberation of regular Englishmen . Being in a hurry to see the lions , I went on to the long row of cages , and there found a splendid sight . Six lions and lionesses , in three or four different cages , sitting or standing in dignified attitudes , and eyeing the spectators with a mild expression in their fine eyes . One lioness was ill , and lay on her bed , looking very pensive , while her mate moved restlessly about her , evidently anxious to do something for her , and much afflicted by her suffering . I liked this lion very much , for , though the biggest , he was very gentle , and had a noble face . The tigers were rushing about , as tigers usually are ; some creeping noiselessly to and fro , some leaping up and down , and some washing their faces with their velvet paws . All looked and acted so like cats that I was n't at all surprised to hear one of them purr when the keeper scratched her head . It was a very loud and large purr , but no fireside pussy could have done it better , and every one laughed at the sound . There were pretty spotted leopards , panthers , and smaller varieties of the same species . I sat watching them a long time , longing to let some of the wild things out for a good run , they seemed so unhappy barred in those small dens . Suddenly the lions began to roar , the tigers to snarl , and all to get very much excited about something , sniffing at the openings , thrusting their paws through the bars , and lashing their tails impatiently . I could n't imagine what the trouble was , till , far down the line , I saw a man with a barrowful of lumps of raw meat . This was their dinner , and as they were fed but once a day they were ravenous . Such roars and howls and cries as arose while the man went slowly down the line , gave one a good idea of the sounds to be heard in Indian forests and jungles . The lions behaved best , for they only paced up and down , with an occasional cry ; but the tigers were quite frantic ; for they tumbled one over the other , shook the cages , and tried to reach the bystanders , just out of reach behind the bar that kept us at a safe distance . One lady had a fright , for the wind blew the end of her shawl within reach of a tiger 's great claw , and he clutched it , trying to drag her nearer . The shawl came off , and the poor lady ran away screaming , as if a whole family of wild beasts were after her .
When the lumps of meat were thrown in , it was curious to XXXXX how differently the animals behaved .
blew creeping fed imagine looking ran see sitting standing thrusting