Produced by Chris Curnow, Julia Neufeld and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Text enclosed in equal signs is in bold (=350=). Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. * * * * * [Illustration: THE ANIMALS ENTER THE ARK. FRONTISPIECE--"STORY OF THE BIBLE ANIMALS."] STORY OF THE BIBLE ANIMALS A Description of the Habits and Uses of every living Creature mentioned in the Scriptures, WITH EXPLANATION OF PASSAGES IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT IN WHICH REFERENCE IS MADE TO THEM. BY J. G. WOOD, AUTHOR OF "HOMES WITHOUT HANDS," "THE ILLUSTRATED NATURAL HISTORY," ETC. 300 ILLUSTRATIONS. PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICE OF _CHARLES FOSTER'S PUBLICATIONS_, No. 118 South Seventh Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA. [Illustration: WAR-HORSES AND ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CHARIOT. See page 307.] COPYRIGHT, 1888, BY W. A. FOSTER. PREFACE. Owing to the different conditions of time, language, country, and race under which the various books of the Holy Scriptures were written, it is impossible that they should be rightly understood at the present day without some study of the customs and manners of Eastern peoples, as well as of the countries in which they lived. The Oriental character of the scriptural writings causes them to abound with metaphors and symbols taken from the common life of the time. They contain allusions to the trees, flowers, and herbage, the creeping things of the earth, the fishes of the sea, the birds of the air, and the beasts which abode with man or dwelt in the deserts and forests. Unless, therefore, we understand these writings as those understood them for whom they were written, it is evident that we shall misinterpret instead of rightly comprehending them. The field which is laid open to us is so large that only one department of Natural History--namely, Zoology--can be treated in this work, although it is illustrated by many references to other branches of Natural History, to the physical geography of Palestine, Egypt, and Syria, the race-character of the inhabitants, and historical parallels. The importance of understanding the nature, habits, and uses of the animals which are constantly mentioned in the Bible, cannot be overrated as a means of elucidating the Scriptures, and without this knowledge we shall not only miss the point of innumerable passages of the Old and New Testaments, but the words of our Lord Himself will often be totally misinterpreted, or at least lose part of their significance. The object of the present work is therefore, to take in its proper succession, every creature whose name is given in the Scriptures, and to supply so much of its history as will enable the reader to understand all the passages in which it is mentioned. [Illustration: SHEPHERD LEADING SHEEP AND GOATS TO THEIR FOLD IN THE ROCK. See page 191.] THE AUTHOR. The Rev. J. G. Wood is a native of London, England. He was educated at Oxford University, and has long been known, both in England and America, as not only a learned and accurate writer on Natural History, but a popular one as well, having the happy faculty of making the results of scientific study and painstaking observation, interesting and instructive to all classes of readers. He has published a number of works on the most familiar departments of the history of animals, designed to awaken popular interest in the study. Their titles are "Sketches and Anecdotes of Animal Life;" "Common Objects of the Seashore and Country;" "My Feathered Friends;" "Homes Without Hands"--being a description of the habitations of animals,--and the "Illustrated Natural History," a book which is widely known both in England and America as a standard work of great value. It has given the author celebrity, and has caused him to be considered an eminent authority on the subject which it treats. It is evident, from these facts, that it would be difficult to find a man better qualified than Mr. Wood, to write a book describing the animals mentioned in the Bible. Profoundly impressed with the ignorance which prevails towards so important a feature of the Scriptural Narrative, he has devoted his ripe powers and special knowledge to the work of dissipating it, and in this volume, not only fully describes the nature and habits of all the animals mentioned in the Scriptures, but tells the story of their relations to mankind. Mr. Wood is a clergyman of the Church of England, and was for a time connected with Christ Church, Oxford. He has devoted himself mainly, however, to authorship in the field which he has chosen, and in which he has become so well known. In his works he usually employs a popular style of writing, and does not make scientific terms prominent. This is especially true of the "Story of the Bible Animals," which from its easy and interesting character is adapted to the comprehension of young and old. [Illutration: animals] Many of the pictures in this book are taken from the living animals, or from photographs and sketches by Eastern travellers. Others represent imaginary scenes, or ancient historical events, and have been designed by skilful artists after careful study of the subjects. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. [A complete Index of Subjects will be found at the end of this Volume.] NO. PAGE 1. THE ANIMALS ENTER THE ARK 2 2. WAR-HORSES AND ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CHARIOT 4 3. SHEPHERD LEADING SHEEP AND GOATS TO THEIR FOLD IN THE ROCK 6 4. A DESERT-SCENE 8 5. THE GARDEN OF EDEN 19 6. LION DRINKING AT A POOL 21 7. A LION KILLS THE PROPHET FROM JUDAH 22 8. LION AND TIGER 23 9. THE LION REPLIES TO THE THUNDER 25 10. LIONESS AND YOUNG 27 11. LION CARRYING HOME SUPPLIES 31 12. AFRICAN LIONS 32 13. THE LION ATTACKS THE HERD 34 14. THE LAIR OF THE LION 35 15. THE LION LISTENS TO THE APPROACH OF THE HUNTER 39 16. THE LEOPARD 43 17. LEOPARD ATTACKING A HERD OF DEER 45 18. THE LEOPARD LEAPS UPON HIS PREY 47 19. WAITING 49 20. LEOPARD 51 21. CAT AND KITTENS 52 22. CAT 54 23. DOGS IN AN EASTERN CITY AT NIGHT 57 24. SHIMEI EXULTING OVER KING DAVID 59 25. LAZARUS LYING AT THE RICH MAN'S DOOR 62 26. THE DEATH OF JEZEBEL 63 27. SYRIAN DOG 64 28. EASTERN WATER-SELLER 68 29. WOLVES ATTACKING A FLOCK OF SHEEP 70 30. WOLVES CHASING DEER 72 31. THE WOLF 73 32. WOLVES ATTACKING WILD GOATS 75 33. THE JACKAL 76 34. FOXES OR JACKALS DEVOURING THE CARCASE OF A GOAT 77 35. A FEAST IN PROSPECT 79 36. A FEAST SECURED 81 37. A TRESPASSER 83 38. LEOPARD ROBBED OF ITS PREY BY HYÃNAS 87 39. HYÃNAS DEVOURING BONES 89 40. WEASELS 93 41. THE BITER BIT 95 42. BADGERS 99 43. SUPPOSED FORM AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE TABERNACLE 101 44. BEARS DESCENDING THE MOUNTAINS 105 45. ON THE WATCH 107 46. SEEKING AN OUTLOOK 109 47. A FAMILY PARTY 111 48. BEAR 112 49. PORCUPINE 113 50. THE MOLE-RAT 115 51. THE MOUSE 119 52. DAGON FALLEN DOWN BEFORE THE ARK 120 53. MOUSE AND NEST 121 54. JERBOA OR LEAPING-MOUSE 122 55. THE FIELD-MOUSE 123 56. THE SYRIAN HARE 127 57. A TIMID GROUP 129 58. ALTAR OF BURNT-OFFERING 133 59. THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS 134 60. ABRAHAM OFFERS FOOD TO THE THREE STRANGERS 135 61. OXEN TREADING OUT GRAIN 139 62. EASTERN OX-CART 140 63. THE ARK OF THE COVENANT BEING DRAWN BY COWS 141 64. PLOUGHING WITH OXEN 143 65. MUMMY OF A SACRED BULL TAKEN FROM AN EGYPTIAN TOMB 146 66. ANIMALS BEING SOLD FOR SACRIFICE IN THE PORCH OF THE TEMPLE 147 67. JEROBOAM SETS UP A GOLDEN CALF AT BETHEL 148 68. THE BUFFALO 149 69. THE BHAINSA, OR DOMESTIC BUFFALO, AND CAMEL DRAWING THE PLOUGH 151 70. WILD BULL OR ORYX 155 71. THE ORYX 157 72. THE UNICORN 158 73. THE BISON 160 74. BISON KILLING WOLF 161 75. THE GAZELLE OR ROE OF SCRIPTURE 163 76. GAZELLES 164 77. THE FALCON USED IN OUR HUNT 168 78. THE ARAB IS DELIGHTED AT THE SUCCESS OF THE HUNT 169 79. THE GAZELLE 170 80. THE ADDAX 172 81. THE BUBALE OR FALLOW DEER OF SCRIPTURE 175 82. SHEEP 176 83. ARABS JOURNEYING TO FRESH PASTURES 178 84. VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS 179 85. JACOB MEETS RACHEL AT THE WELL 182 86. EASTERN SHEPHERD WATCHING HIS FLOCK 183 87. DAVID GATHERS STONES FROM THE BROOK TO CAST AT GOLIATH 185 88. AN EASTERN SHEPHERD 186 89. SHEEP FOLLOWING THEIR SHEPHERD 187 90. ANCIENT SHEEP-PEN 190 91. THE POOR MAN'S LAMB 193 92. THE RICH MAN'S FEAST 193 93. FLOCKS OF SHEEP BEING TAKEN INTO JERUSALEM 195 94. SOUNDING THE TRUMPETS IN THE YEAR OF JUBILEE 202 95. RAM'S HORN TRUMPET 203 96. A LAMB UPON THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING 204 97. THE PLACE OF SACRIFICE 206 98. THE CHAMOIS 211 99. CHAMOIS DEFENDING ITS YOUNG 213 100. CHASING THE AOUDAD 214 101. THE MOUFLON 216 102. JACOB DECEIVES HIS FATHER AND TAKES ESAU'S BLESSING 218 103. THE ANGEL APPEARS TO GIDEON 219 104. EASTERN WATER-CARRIERS WITH BOTTLES MADE OF GOAT-SKIN 224 105. GOATS ON THE MARCH 228 106. HERD OF GOATS ATTACKED BY A LION 231 107. ARABIAN IBEX, THE WILD GOAT OF SCRIPTURE 236 108. THE DEER 238 109. RED DEER 239 110. FALLOW DEER OR HIND OF SCRIPTURE 240 111. A QUIET SPOT 241 112. RED DEER AND FAWN 243 113. THE LEADER OF THE HERD 245 114. THE WATCHFUL DOE 247 115. A KNEELING CAMEL 248 116. JACOB LEAVES LABAN AND RETURNS TO CANAAN 249 117. A CAMP IN THE DESERT 250 118. A GRATEFUL SHADE 253 119. CAMELS LADEN WITH BOUGHS 257 120. MORNING IN THE DESERT: STARTING OF THE CARAVAN 258 121. THE CAMEL POST 261 122. A RUNAWAY 263 123. AN ARAB SHEIK MOUNTED UPON HIS CAMEL 264 124. AARON'S ROD BEARS ALMONDS 266 125. CAMEL RIDING 267 126. THE DELOUL, OR SWIFT CAMEL 268 127. ANOTHER MODE OF RIDING THE CAMEL 270 128. PASSING A CAMEL IN A NARROW STREET OF AN EASTERN CITY 277 129. MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH 278 130. AN ARAB ENCAMPMENT 279 131. ON THE MARCH 281 132. HAIR OF THE CAMEL 283 133. CAMEL GOING THROUGH A "NEEDLE'S EYE" 285 134. A REST IN THE DESERT 287 135. BACTRIAN CAMELS DRAWING CART 289 136. TRIAL OF ARAB HORSES 292 137. AN ARAB HORSE OF THE KOCHLANI BREED 293 138. THE WAR-HORSE 295 139. ARAB HORSES 297 140. BUYING AN ARAB HORSE 299 141. THE ARAB'S FAVORITE STEEDS 301 142. PHARAOH PURSUES THE ISRAELITES WITH CHARIOTS AND HORSES, AND THE SEA COVERS THEM 302 143. ELIJAH IS CARRIED UP 304 144. THE ISRAELITES, LED BY JOSHUA, TAKE JERICHO 308 145. ANCIENT BATTLEFIELD 309 146. CHARIOT OF STATE 311 147. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE REPRESENTING A VICTORIOUS KING IN HIS CHARIOT SLAYING HIS ENEMIES 313 148. MUMMY OF AN EGYPTIAN KING OVER THREE THOUSAND YEARS OLD 314 149. ASS AND DRIVER 315 150. ENTERING JERUSALEM 317 151. SYRIAN ASSES 319 152. A STREET IN CAIRO, EGYPT 322 153. BEGGAR IN THE STREETS OF CAIRO 324 154. NIGHT-WATCH IN CAIRO 325 155. HUNTING WILD ASSES 331 156. MULES OF THE EAST 334 157. ABSALOM IS CAUGHT IN THE BOUGHS OF AN OAK TREE 335 158. DANIEL REFUSES TO EAT THE KING'S MEAT 337 159. THE PRODIGAL SON 340 160. ELEAZAR REFUSES TO EAT SWINE'S FLESH 341 161. A MOTHER AND HER SEVEN SONS TORTURED FOR REFUSING TO EAT SWINE'S FLESH 342 162. THE EVIL SPIRITS ENTER A HERD OR SWINE 343 163. WILD BOARS DEVOURING THE CARCASE OF A DEER 344 164. WILD BOARS 345 165. WILD BOARS DESTROYING A VINEYARD 347 166. INDIAN ELEPHANT 349 167. KING SOLOMON, SEATED UPON HIS THRONE, RECEIVES THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 350 168. INDIAN ELEPHANTS 351 169. THE WAR-ELEPHANT 355 170. AFRICAN ELEPHANTS 359 171. ELEPHANTS' WATERING-PLACE 361 172. TIGER 363 173. TIGER IN THE REEDS 364 174. HEAD OF TIGER 365 175. THE HYRAX 367 176. HIPPOPOTAMUS 372 177. HIPPOPOTAMUS POOL 375 178. THE GREAT JAWS OF THE HIPPOPOTAMUS 376 179. HIPPOPOTAMUS EMERGING FROM THE RIVER 377 180. HIPPOPOTAMUS EATING GRASS 379 181. A HIPPOPOTAMUS-HUNT IN EGYPT 381 182. HIPPOPOTAMUS AND TRAP 384 183. THE BABOON 387 184. THE RHESUS MONKEY 389 185. FEEDING THE MONKEYS IN INDIA 390 186. TROUBLESOME NEIGHBORS 391 187. MONKEYS ENTERING A PLANTATION 392 188. SLOTHFUL MONKEYS 393 189. A PRIVILEGED RACE 394 190. THE WANDEROO 396 191. THE ENEMY DISCOVERED 397 192. BONNET MONKEYS 399 193. THE BAT 401 194. BATS' RESTING-PLACE 403 195. GREAT FOX-HEADED BAT, OR FLYING FOX 405 196. CAVE NEAR THE SITE OF ANCIENT JERICHO 406 197. NIGHT IN THE TROPICS 407 198. LEOPARDS 408 199. THE HOME OF THE VULTURE 411 200. The LÃMMERGEIER 412 201. A SUCCESSFUL DEFENCE 415 202. STRUCK FROM A DIZZY HEIGHT 417 203. THE VULTURE'S NEST 418 204. THE EGYPTIAN VULTURE, OR GIER EAGLE 420 205. VULTURES 425 206. THE EAGLE AND THE HARE 430 207. EAGLES 432 208. EAGLE RETURNING TO THE NEST WITH HER PREY 435 209. THE OSPREY SEARCHING FOR FISH 437 210. SNATCHED FROM THE DEEP: THE OSPREY RISES WITH HIS PREY 439 211. THE KITE, OR VULTURE OF SCRIPTURE 441 212. THE PEREGRINE FALCON, OR GLEDE 444 213. THE LANNER FALCON 446 214. THE HAWK 447 215. KESTREL HOVERING OVER A FIELD IN SEARCH OF PREY 449 216. THE WIND-HOVER, OR KESTREL 450 217. THE BARN OWL 454 218. THE LITTLE OWL 456 219. CAUGHT NAPPING 457 220. RAVEN.--BARN OWL.--EAGLE OWL 459 221. A FAMILY COUNCIL 460 222. THE NIGHT HAWK ON THE WING 462 223. THE NIGHT HAWK 463 224. THE SWALLOW 466 225. LOST FROM THE FLOCK 469 226. THE SWALLOW AND SWIFT 471 227. VIEW OF THE SEA OF GALILEE 472 228. THE SWALLOW'S FAVORITE HAUNT 473 229. SWALLOWS AT HOME 475 230. THE HOOPOE 478 231. EASTERN HOUSETOPS 479 232. READING THE LAW TO THE PEOPLE AFTER THE RETURN FROM CAPTIVITY 482 233. THE BLUE THRUSH, OR SPARROW OF SCRIPTURE 483 234. THE TREE SPARROW 485 235. SPARROWS 486 236. A FOREST SCENE 487 237. THE GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO 488 238. NOAH RECEIVES THE DOVE 489 239. JESUS DRIVES OUT OF THE TEMPLE THE MONEYCHANGERS AND THOSE WHO SOLD DOVES 493 240. THE ROCK DOVE 494 241. BLUE ROCK PIGEONS 495 242. THE TURTLE DOVE 497 243. THE HEN AND HER BROOD 498 244. THE DOMESTIC FOWL 499 245. POULTRY 500 246. THE PEACOCK 501 247. PEAFOWL 503 248. FEATHERS OF THE PEACOCK 504 249. PARTRIDGES 505 250. THE GREEK PARTRIDGE 507 251. PARTRIDGE AND THEIR YOUNG 508 252. EASTERN QUAIL 509 253. THE QUAIL 510 254. FLIGHT OF QUAIL 515 255. THE RAVEN 517 256. ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS 518 257. RAVENS' ROOSTING-PLACE 521 258. RAVENS' NEST 522 259. OSTRICH AND NEST 527 260. ARABS HUNTING THE OSTRICH 533 261. THE BITTERN 537 262. BITTERN AND CORMORANT 539 263. THE HOME OF THE BITTERN 541 264. THE HERON 543 265. THE HOME OF THE HERON 545 266. THE PAPYRUS PLANT 548 267. THE HOME OF THE CRANE 549 268. THE CRANE 550 269. THE STORK 553 270. STORKS AND THEIR NESTS 555 271. A NEST OF THE WHITE STORK 559 272. IBIS AND GALLINULE 561 273. THE PELICAN 568 274. LIZARDS 575 275. TORTOISES 577 276. THE DHUBB AND THE TORTOISE 578 277. WATER TORTOISE 579 278. CROCODILE ATTACKING HORSES 587 279. A CROCODILE POOL OF ANCIENT EGYPT 590 280. CROCODILES OF THE UPPER NILE 591 281. ICHNEUMON DEVOURING THE EGGS OF THE CROCODILE 597 282. A CROCODILE TRAP 599 283. A FIGHT FOR LIFE 601 284. THE CYPRIUS, OR LIZARD 602 285. THE CHAMELEON 605 286. GECKO AND CHAMELEON 606 287. THE GECKO 609 288. SERPENTS 611 289. BOA CONSTRICTOR AND TIGER 613 290. COBRA AND CERASTES 615 291. THE ISRAELITES ARE BITTEN BY SERPENTS IN THE WILDERNESS, AND MOSES LIFTS UP THE SERPENT OF BRASS 616 292. THE SERPENT-CHARMER 619 293. THE VIPER 621 294. TEACHING COBRAS TO DANCE 623 295. HORNED VIPER 625 296. THE VIPER, OR EPHEH 627 297. THE TOXICOA 628 298. THE FROG 630 299. FISHES 633 300. A RIVER SCENE 635 301. PETER CATCHES THE FISH 636 302. MURÃNA, LONG-HEADED BARBEL, AND SHEAT FISH 638 303. SUCKING FISH, TUNNY, AND CORYPHENE 640 304. FISHING SCENE ON THE SEA OF GALILEE 642 305. MODE OF DRAGGING THE SEINE NET 645 306. NILE PERCH, SURMULLET, AND STAR-GAZER 647 307. THE PEARL OYSTER 653 308. INSECTS 655 309. A SWARM OF LOCUSTS 659 310. THE LOCUST 663 311. THE BEE 665 312. THE HORNET AND ITS NEST 669 313. ANTS ON THE MARCH 671 314. ANT OF PALESTINE 675 315. THE CRIMSON WORM 677 316. MORDECAI IS LED THROUGH THE CITY UPON THE KING'S HORSE 679 317. BUTTERFLIES OF PALESTINE 682 318. NOXIOUS FLIES OF PALESTINE 685 319. THE SCORPION 690 320. CORAL 694 [Illustration: more animals] STORY OF THE BIBLE ANIMALS. THE LION. Frequent mention of the Lion in the Scriptures--The Lion employed as an emblem in the Bible--Similarity of the African and Asiatic species--The chief characteristics of the Lion--its strength, activity, and mode of seizing its prey--The Lion hunt. Of all the undomesticated animals of Palestine, none is mentioned so frequently as the LION. This may appear the more remarkable, because for many years the Lion has been extinct in Palestine. The leopard, the wolf, the jackal, and the hyÃ¦na, still retain their place in the land, although their numbers are comparatively few; but the Lion has vanished completely out of the land. The reason for this disappearance is twofold, first, the thicker population; and second, the introduction of firearms. No animal is less tolerant of human society than the Lion. In the first place, it dreads the very face of man, and as a rule, whenever it sees a man will slink away and hide itself. There are, of course, exceptional cases to this rule. Sometimes a Lion becomes so old and stiff, his teeth are so worn, and his endurance so slight, that he is unable to chase his usual prey, and is obliged to seek for other means of subsistence. In an unpopulated district, he would simply be starved to death, but when his lot is cast in the neighbourhood of human beings, he is perforce obliged to become a "man-eater." Even in that case, a Lion will seldom attack a man, unless he should be able to do so unseen, but will hang about the villages, pouncing on the women as they come to the wells for water, or upon the little children as they stray from their parents, and continually shifting his quarters lest he should be assailed during his sleep. The Lion requires a very large tract of country for his maintenance, and the consequence is, that in proportion as the land is populated does the number of Lions decrease. Firearms are the special dread of the Lion. In the first place, the Lion, like all wild beasts, cannot endure fire, and the flash of the gun terrifies him greatly. Then, there is the report, surpassing even his roar in resonance; and lastly, there is the unseen bullet, which seldom kills him at once, but mostly drives him to furious anger by the pain of his wound, yet which he does not dread nearly so much as the harmless flash and report. There is another cause of the Lion's banishment from the Holy Land. It is well known that to attract any wild beast or bird to some definite spot, all that is required is to provide them with a suitable and undisturbed home, and a certainty of food. Consequently, the surest method of driving them away is to deprive them of both these essentials. Then the Lion used to live in forests, which formerly stretched over large tracts of ground, but which have long since been cut down, thus depriving the Lion of its home, while the thick population and the general use of firearms have deprived him of his food. In fact, the Lion has been driven out of Palestine, just as the wolf has been extirpated from England. But, in the olden times, Lions must have been very plentiful. There is scarcely a book in the Bible, whether of the Old or New Testaments, whether historical or prophetical, that does not contain some mention of this terrible animal; sometimes describing the actions of individual Lions, but mostly using the word as an emblem of strength and force, whether used for a good purpose or abused for a bad one. [Illustration: LION DRINKING AT A POOL.] [Illustration: A LION KILLS THE PROPHET FROM JUDAH.] There are several varieties of Lion, which may be reduced to two, namely, the African and the Asiatic Lion. It is almost certain, however, that these animals really are one and the same species, and that the trifling differences which exist between an African and an Asiatic Lion, are not sufficient to justify a naturalist in considering them to be distinct species. The habits of both are identical, modified, as is sure to be the case, by the difference of locality; but then, such variations in habit are continually seen in animals confessedly of the same species, which happen to be placed in different conditions of climate and locality. That it was once exceedingly plentiful in Palestine is evident, from a very cursory knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. It is every where mentioned as a well-known animal, equally familiar and dreaded. When the disobedient prophet was killed by the Lion near Bethel, the fact seemed not to have caused any surprise in the neighbourhood. When the people came out to rescue the body of the prophet, they wondered much because the Lion was standing by the fallen man, but had not torn him, and had left the ass unhurt. But that a Lion should have killed a man seems to have been an event which was not sufficiently rare to be surprising. We will now proceed to those characteristics of the Lion which bear especial reference to the Scriptures. In the first place, size for size, the Lion is one of the strongest of beasts. [Illustration: LION AND TIGER.] Moreover, the strength of the Lion is equally distributed over the body and limbs, giving to the animal an easy grace of movement which is rare except with such a structure. A full-grown Lion cannot only knock down and kill, but can carry away in its mouth, an ordinary ox; and one of these terrible animals has been known to pick up a heifer in its mouth, and to leap over a wide ditch still carrying its burden. Another Lion carried a two-year old heifer, and was chased for five hours by mounted farmers, so that it must have traversed a very considerable distance. Yet, in the whole of this long journey, the legs of the heifer had only two or three times touched the ground. It kills man, and comparatively small animals, such as deer and antelopes, with a blow of its terrible paw; and often needs to give no second blow to cause the death of its victim. The sharp talons are not needed to cause death, for the weight of the blow is sufficient for that purpose. When the hunter pursues it with dogs, after the usual fashion, there is often a great slaughter among them, especially among those that are inexperienced in the chase of the Lion. Urged by their instinctive antipathy, the dogs rush forward to the spot where the Lion awaits them, and old hounds bay at him from a safe distance, while the young and inexperienced among them are apt to convert the sham attack into a real one. Their valour meets with a poor reward, for a few blows from the Lion's terrible paws send his assailants flying in all directions, their bodies streaming with blood, and in most cases a fatal damage inflicted, while more than one unfortunate dog lies fairly crushed by the weight of a paw laid with apparent carelessness upon its body. There is before me a Lion's skin, a spoil of one of these animals shot by the celebrated sportsman, Gordon Cumming. Although the skin lies flat upon the floor, and the paws are nothing but the skin and talons, the weight of each paw is very considerable, and always surprises those who hear it fall on the floor. There are several Hebrew words which are used for the Lion, but that which signifies the animal in its adult state is derived from an Arabic word signifying strength; and therefore the Lion is called the Strong-one, just as the Bat is called the Night-flier. No epithet could be better deserved, for the Lion seems to be a very incarnation of strength, and, even when dead, gives as vivid an idea of concentrated power as when it was living. And, when the skin is stripped from the body, the tremendous muscular development never fails to create a sensation of awe. The muscles of the limbs, themselves so hard as to blunt the keen-edged knives employed by a dissecter, are enveloped in their glittering sheaths, playing upon each other like well-oiled machinery, and terminating in tendons seemingly strong as steel, and nearly as impervious to the knife. Not until the skin is removed can any one form a conception of the enormously powerful muscles of the neck, which enable the Lion to lift the weighty prey which it kills, and to convey it to a place of security. [Illustration: THE LION REPLIES TO THE THUNDER.] Although usually unwilling to attack an armed man, it is one of the most courageous animals in existence when it is driven to fight, and if its anger is excited, it cares little for the number of its foes, or the weapons with which they are armed. Even the dreaded firearms lose their terrors to an angry Lion, while a Lioness, who fears for the safety of her young, is simply the most terrible animal in existence. We know how even a hen will fight for her chickens, and how she has been known to beat off the fox and the hawk by the reckless fury of her attack. It may be easily imagined, therefore, that a Lioness actuated by equal courage, and possessed of the terrible weapons given to her by her Creator, would be an animal almost too formidable for the conception of those who have not actually witnessed the scene of a Lioness defending her little ones. The roar of the Lion is another of the characteristics for which it is celebrated. There is no beast that can produce a sound that could for a moment be mistaken for the roar of the Lion. The Lion has a habit of stooping his head towards the ground when he roars, so that the terrible sound rolls along like thunder, and reverberates in many an echo in the far distance. Owing to this curious habit, the roar can be heard at a very great distance, but its locality is rendered uncertain, and it is often difficult to be quite sure whether the Lion is to the right or the left of the hearer. There are few sounds which strike more awe than the Lion's roar. Even at the Zoological Gardens, where the hearer knows that he is in perfect safety, and where the Lion is enclosed in a small cage faced with strong iron bars, the sound of the terrible roar always has a curious effect upon the nerves. It is not exactly fear, because the hearer knows that he is safe; but it is somewhat akin to the feeling of mixed awe and admiration with which one listens to the crashing thunder after the lightning has sped its course. If such be the case when the Lion is safely housed in a cage, and is moreover so tame that even if he did escape, he would be led back by the keeper without doing any harm, the effect of the roar must indeed be terrific when the Lion is at liberty, when he is in his own country, and when the shades of evening prevent him from being seen even at a short distance. [Illustration: LIONESS AND YOUNG.] In the dark, there is no animal so invisible as a Lion. Almost every hunter has told a similar story--of the Lion's approach at night, of the terror displayed by dogs and cattle as he drew near, and of the utter inability to see him, though he was so close that they could hear his breathing. Sometimes, when he has crept near an encampment, or close to a cattle inclosure, he does not proceed any farther lest he should venture within the radius illumined by the rays of the fire. So he crouches closely to the ground, and, in the semi-darkness, looks so like a large stone, or a little hillock, that any one might pass close to it without perceiving its real nature. This gives the opportunity for which the Lion has been watching, and in a moment he strikes down the careless straggler, and carries off his prey to the den. Sometimes, when very much excited, he accompanies the charge with a roar, but, as a general fact, he secures his prey in silence. The roar of the Lion is very peculiar. It is not a mere outburst of sound, but a curiously graduated performance. No description of the Lion's roar is so vivid, so true, and so graphic as that of Gordon Cumming: "One of the most striking things connected with the Lion is his voice, which is extremely grand and peculiarly striking. It consists at times of a low, deep moaning, repeated five or six times, ending in faintly audible sighs. At other times he startles the forest with loud, deep-toned, solemn roars, repeated five or six times in quick succession, each increasing in loudness to the third or fourth, when his voice dies away in five or six low, muffled sounds, very much resembling distant thunder. As a general rule, Lions roar during the night, their sighing moans commencing as the shades of evening envelop the forest, and continuing at intervals throughout the night. In distant and secluded regions, however, I have constantly heard them roaring loudly as late as nine or ten o'clock on a bright sunny morning. In hazy and rainy weather they are to be heard at every hour in the day, but their roar is subdued." Lastly, we come to the dwelling-place of the Lion. This animal always fixes its residence in the depths of some forest, through which it threads its stealthy way with admirable certainty. No fox knows every hedgerow, ditch, drain, and covert better than the Lion knows the whole country around his den. Each Lion seems to have his peculiar district, in which only himself and his family will be found. These animals seem to parcel out the neighbourhood among themselves by a tacit law like that which the dogs of eastern countries have imposed upon themselves, and which forbids them to go out of the district in which they were born. During the night he traverses his dominions; and, as a rule, he retires to his den as soon as the sun is fairly above the horizon. Sometimes he will be in wait for prey in the broadest daylight, but his ordinary habits are nocturnal, and in the daytime he is usually asleep in his secret dwelling-place. We will now glance at a few of the passages in which the Lion is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, selecting those which treat of its various characteristics. The terrible strength of the Lion is the subject of repeated reference. In the magnificent series of prophecies uttered by Jacob on his deathbed, the power of the princely tribe of Judah is predicted under the metaphor of a Lion--the beginning of its power as a Lion's whelp, the fulness of its strength as an adult Lion, and its matured establishment in power as the old Lion that couches himself and none dares to disturb him. Then Solomon, in the Proverbs, speaks of the Lion as the "strongest among beasts, and that turneth not away for any." Solomon also alludes to its courage in the same book, Prov. xxviii. 1, in the well-known passage, "The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." And, in 2 Sam. xxiii. 20, the courage of Benaiah, one of the mighty three of David's army, is specially honoured, because he fought and killed a Lion single-handed, and because he conquered "two lion-like men of Moab." David, their leader, had also distinguished himself, when a mere keeper of cattle, by pursuing and killing a Lion that had come to plunder his herd. In the same book of Samuel which has just been quoted (xvii. 10), the valiant men are metaphorically described as having the hearts of Lions. The ferocity of this terrible beast of prey is repeatedly mentioned, and the Psalms are full of such allusions, the fury and anger of enemies being compared to the attacks of the Lion. Many passages refer to the Lion's roar, and it is remarkable that the Hebrew language contains several words by which the different kind of roar is described. One word, for example, represents the low, deep, thunder-like roar of the Lion seeking its prey, and which has already been mentioned. This is the word which is used in Amos iii. 4, "Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey?" and in this passage the word which is translated as Lion signifies the animal when full grown and in the prime of life. Another word is used to signify the sudden exulting cry of the Lion as it leaps upon its victim. A third is used for the angry growl with which a Lion resents any endeavour to deprive it of its prey, a sound with which we are all familiar, on a miniature scale, when we hear a cat growling over a mouse which she has just caught. The fourth term signifies the peculiar roar uttered by the young Lion after it has ceased to be a cub and before it has attained maturity. This last term is employed in Jer. li. 38, "They shall _roar_ together like lions; they shall _yell_ as lions' whelps," in which passage two distinct words are used, one signifying the roar of the Lion when searching after prey, and the other the cry of the young Lions. The prophet Amos, who in his capacity of herdsman was familiar with the wild beasts, from which he had to guard his cattle, makes frequent mention of the Lion, and does so with a force and vigour that betoken practical experience. How powerful is this imagery, "The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken; who can but prophesy?" Here we have the picture of the man himself, the herdsman and prophet, who had trembled many a night, as the Lions drew nearer and nearer; and who heard the voice of the Lord, and his lips poured out prophecy. Nothing can be more complete than the parallel which he has drawn. It breathes the very spirit of piety, and may bear comparison even with the prophecies of Isaiah for its simple grandeur. It is remarkable how the sacred writers have entered into the spirit of the world around them, and how closely they observed the minutest details even in the lives of the brute beasts. There is a powerful passage in the book of Job, iv. 11, "The old lion perisheth for lack of prey," in which the writer betrays his thorough knowledge of the habits of the animal, and is aware that the usual mode of a Lion's death is through hunger, in consequence of his increasing inability to catch prey. The nocturnal habits of the Lion and its custom of lying in wait for prey are often mentioned in the Scriptures. The former habit is spoken of in that familiar and beautiful passage in the Psalms (civ. 20), "Thou makest darkness, and it is night; wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young Lions roar after their prey; and seek their meat from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens." [Illustration: LION CARRYING HOME SUPPLIES.] An animal so destructive among the flocks and herds could not be allowed to carry out its depredations unchecked, and as we have already seen, the warfare waged against it has been so successful, that the Lions have long ago been fairly extirpated in Palestine. The usual method of capturing or killing the Lion was by pitfalls or nets, to both of which there are many references in the Scriptures. The mode of hunting the Lion with nets was identical with that which is practised in India at the present time. The precise locality of the Lion's dwelling-place having been discovered, a circular wall of net is arranged round it, or if only a few nets can be obtained, they are set in a curved form, the concave side being towards the Lion. They then send dogs into the thicket, hurl stones and sticks at the den, shoot arrows into it, fling burning torches at it, and so irritate and alarm the animal that it rushes against the net, which is so made that it falls down and envelopes the animal in its folds. If the nets be few, the drivers go to the opposite side of the den, and induce the Lion to escape in the direction where he sees no foes, but where he is sure to run against the treacherous net. Other large and dangerous animals were also captured by the same means. [Illustration: AFRICAN LIONS.] Another and more common, because an easier and a cheaper method was, by digging a deep pit, covering the mouth with a slight covering of sticks and earth, and driving the animal upon the treacherous covering. It is an easier method than the net, because after the pit is once dug, the only trouble lies in throwing the covering over its mouth. But, it is not so well adapted for taking beasts alive, as they are likely to be damaged, either by the fall into the pit, or by the means used in getting them out again. Animals, therefore, that are caught in pits are generally, though not always, killed before they are taken out. The net, however, envelops the animal so perfectly, and renders it so helpless, that it can be easily bound and taken away. The hunting net is very expensive, and requires a large staff of men to work it, so that none but a rich man could use it in hunting. The passages in which allusion is made to the use of the pitfall in hunting are too numerous to be quoted, and it will be sufficient to mention one or two passages, such as those wherein the Psalmist laments that his enemies have hidden for him their net in a pit, and that the proud have digged pits for him. Lions that were taken in nets seem to have been kept alive in dens, either as mere curiosities, or as instruments of royal vengeance. Such seems to have been the object of the Lions which were kept by Darius, into whose den Daniel was thrown, by royal command, and which afterwards killed his accusers when thrown into the same den. It is plain that the Lions kept by Darius must have been exceedingly numerous, because they killed at once the accusers of Daniel, who were many in number, together with their wives and children, who, in accordance with the cruel custom of that age and country, were partakers of the same punishment with the real culprits. The whole of the first part of Ezek. xix. alludes to the custom of taking Lions alive and keeping them in durance afterwards. Sometimes the Lion was hunted as a sport, but this amusement seems to have been restricted to the great men, on account of its expensive nature. Such hunting scenes are graphically depicted in the famous Nineveh sculptures, which represent the hunters pursuing their mighty game in chariots, and destroying them with arrows. Rude, and even conventional as are these sculptures, they have a spirit, a force, and a truthfulness, that prove them to have been designed by artists to whom the scene was a familiar one. [Illustration: THE LION ATTACKS THE HERD.] Upon the African Continent the Lion reigns supreme, monarch of the feline race. Whatever may be said of the distinction between the Asiatic and African Lion, there seems to be scarcely sufficient grounds for considering the very slight differences a sufficient warrant for constituting separate species. From all accounts, it seems that the habits of all Lions are very similar, and that a Lion acts like a Lion whether found in Africa or Asia. [Illustration: THE LAIR OF THE LION.] An old Boer, as the Dutch settlers of Southern Africa are called, gave me a most interesting account of an adventure with a Lion. The man was a well-known hunter, and lived principally by the sale of ivory and skins. He was accustomed each year to make a trip into the game country, and traded with the Kaffirs, or native blacks, under very favorable auspices. His stock in trade consisted of guns and ammunition, several spans of fine oxen, some horses, and about a dozen dogs. A Lion which appeared to have been roaming about the country happened to pass near this hunter's camp, and scenting the horses and oxen, evidently thought that the location would suit him for a short period. A dense wood situated about a mile from the camp afforded shelter, and this spot the Lion selected as a favorable position for his headquarters. The hunter had not to wait for more than a day, before the suspicions which had been aroused by some broad footmarks, which he saw imprinted in the soil, were confirmed into a certainty that a large Lion was concealed near his residence. It now became a question of policy whether the Boer should attack the Lion, or wait for the Lion to attack him. He thought it possible that the savage beast, having been warned off by the dogs, whose barking had been continued and furious during the night on which the Lion was supposed to have passed, might think discretion the better part of valor, and consequently would move farther on, in search of a less carefully guarded locality upon which to quarter himself. He determined, therefore, to wait, but to use every precaution against a night-surprise. The Lion, however, was more than a match for the man; for during the second night a strong ox from his best span was quietly carried off, and, although there was some commotion among the dogs and cattle, it was then thought that the alarm had scared the Lion away. The morning light, however, showed that the beast had leaped the fence which surrounded the camp, and, having killed the ox, had evidently endeavored to scramble over it again with the ox in his possession. The weight of the Lion and the ox had caused the stakes to give way, and the Lion had easily carried off his prey through the aperture. The track of the Lion was immediately followed by the Boer, who took with him a negro and half a dozen of his best dogs. The tracks were easily seen, and the hunter had no difficulty in deciding that the Lion was in the wood previously mentioned. But this in itself was no great advance, for the place was overgrown with a dense thicket of thorn-bushes, creepers, and long grass, forming a jungle so thick and impenetrable that for a man to enter seemed almost impossible. It was therefore agreed that the Boer should station himself on one side, while the negro went to the other side of the jungle, the dogs meanwhile being sent into the thicket. This arrangement, it was hoped, would enable either the hunter or the negro to obtain a shot; for they concluded that the dogs, which were very courageous animals, would drive the Lion out of the bushes. The excited barking of the dogs soon indicated that they had discovered the Lion, but they appeared to be unable to drive him from his stronghold; for, although they would scamper away every now and then, as though the enraged monster was chasing them, still they returned to bark at the same spot. Both of the hunters fired several shots, with the hope that a stray bullet might find its way through the underwood to the heart of the savage beast, but a great quantity of ammunition was expended and no result achieved. At length, as the dogs had almost ceased to bark, it was considered advisable to call them off. But all the whistling and shouting failed to recall more than two out of the six, and one of these was fearfully wounded. The others, it was afterwards found, had been killed by the Lion: a blow from his paw had sufficed to break the back or smash the skull of all which had come within his reach. Thus the first attempt on the Lion was a total failure, and the hunter returned home lamenting the loss of his dogs, and during the night watched beside his enclosure; but the Lion did not pay him a second visit. Early on the following evening, accompanied by the negro, he started afresh for the wood; and, having marked the spot from which the Lion had on the former occasion quitted the dense thorny jungle, the two hunters ascended a tree and watched during the whole night in the hope of obtaining a shot at the hated marauder. But while they were paying the residence of the Lion a visit _he_ favored the camp with a call, and this time, by way of variety, carried away a very valuable horse, which he conveyed to the wood, being wise enough to walk out and to return by a different path from that he had previously used, consequently avoiding the ambush prepared for him. When the hunter returned to his camp, he was furious at this new loss, and determined upon a plan which, though dangerous, still appeared the most likely to insure the destruction of the ravenous monster. This plan was to enter the wood alone, without attendant or dogs, and with noiseless, stealthy movements creep near enough to the Lion to obtain a shot. Now, when we consider the difficulty of moving through thick bushes without making a noise, and remember the watchful habits of every member of the cat tribe, we may be certain that to surprise the Lion was a matter of extreme difficulty, and that the probability was that the hunter would meet with disaster. At about ten o'clock on the morning after the horse-slaughter, the hunter started for the wood armed with a double-barrelled smooth-bore gun, and prepared to put forth his utmost skill in stalking his dangerous enemy. Now, it is the nature of the Lion, when gorged, to sleep during the day; and if the animal has carried off any prey, it usually conceals itself near the remnants of its feast, to watch them until ready for another meal. The hunter was aware of this, and laid his plans very judiciously. He approached the wood slowly and silently, found the track of the Lion, and began tracing it to find the spot where the remains of the horse could be seen. He moved forward very slowly and with great caution, being soon surrounded by the thick bushes, the brightness of the plain also being succeeded by the deep gloom of the wood. Being an experienced hand at bush-craft, he was able to walk or crawl without causing either a dried stick to crack or a leaf to rustle, and he was aware that his progress was without noise; for the small birds, usually so watchful and alert, flew away only when he approached close to them, thus showing that their eyes, and not their ears, had made them conscious of the presence of man. Birds and monkeys are the great obstacles in the bush to the success of a surprise, for the birds fly from tree to tree and whistle or twitter, whilst the monkeys chatter and grimace, expressing by all sorts of actions that a strange creature is approaching. When, therefore, the bushranger finds that birds and monkeys are unconscious of his presence until they see him, he may be satisfied that he has traversed the bush
{'title': 'Story of the Bible Animals by J. G. Wood', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}