In 1807, two tygers appeared on the Island of Salsette, and carried off nine persons. The inhabitants firmly believed that these beasts were not beasts, but two malicious spirits disguised under the forms of a royal tyger and tygress, with human countenances, and large gold rings in their noses and ears: this opinion prevailed so strongly, as to prevent them from attempting to destroy these destructive animals, though a large reward was offered, to induce them.

There is a wretched tribe in Hindostan called the Cad' Curuburu, some of whom watch the fields at night to keep off the elephants and wild boars. Their manner of driving away the elephant is by running against him with a burning torch, made of bamboos. The animal sometimes turns and waits till the Curuburu comes close up, but these poor people, taught by experience, push boldly on, and dash their torches against the elephant's head, who never fails to

take immediate flight. Should their courage fail, and should they attempt to run away, the elephant would immediately pursue and put them to death*.

In the bull-fights, when one of the men on foot is closely pursued by the bull, he drops his cloak immediately before the animal, who continues to vent his fury upon it long enough for the man to escape. This lure never fails to succeed:.. the fact, if generally known, might prevent some dangerous accidents in this country. Joinvillet says the lion may be deceived in the same manner, and that some knights of Norone, knowing this, Syria very successfully. still more easily be lured.

hunted lions in

The bear may

Some of our

travellers in Iceland say, that if a glove be thrown to him, he will not leave it

*Buchanan's Travels,

+ Collect. des Memoires relatifs a l'histoire de France, T. 2, P, 78.

till he has turned all the fingers inside out. In those countries where the peasants are liable to frequent rencontres with these animals, it would certainly be good policy always to perform the ceremony of throwing the glove before the combat. Against this beast, who is fond of coming to close quarters, a good hint might be borrowed from the ballad of the Dragon of Wantley. Bruin's hug would prove fatal to himself, if at the moment when he would else be victorious, he should embrace a Moore-ofMoore-hall jerkin.

The ancients had a strange fable concerning the lion, which Archbishop Abbot repeats with full belief in his Brief Description of the World. "Ammianus Marcellinus, (he says,) reporteth one thing of Chaldea, wherein the admirable power of God doth appear; for he writeth, that in those parts are a huge number of lions, which were like enough to devour up both men and beasts

throughout the country but withall he saith, that by reason of the store of wa ter and mud thereof, there do breed yearly an innumerable company of gnats, whose property is to fly unto the eye of the lion, as being a bright and orient thing; where biting and stinging the lion, he teareth so fiercely with his claws that he putteth out his own eyes, and by that means many are drowned in the rivers."

The total extirpation of all formidable beasts of prey in the British Islands is perhaps the best proof of our highly advanced state. Even in the most barbarous parts of Wales, and in the

Highlands of Scotland, the

longer to be found. It is

wolf is no

extinct in

Ireland also. Many parts of France which are more populous than the remoter parts of these islands, and probably in many respects much more im

* Page 114.

proved, are cruelly annoyed by this de

structive animal.

233. Longevity.

There is nothing in the system of nature which in our present state of knowledge appears so unintelligible as the scale of longevity. It must be admitted, indeed, that our knowledge upon this subject is very imperfect; but all that is known of domesticated animals, and the accidental facts which have been preserved concerning others, tend to the strange result, that longevity bears no relation either to strength, size, complexity of organization, or intellectual power. True it is that birds, which seem to rank higher than beasts in the scale of being, are also much longer lived. Thirty is a great age for a horse, dogs usually live only from fourteen years to twenty; but it is known that the goose and the hawk exceed a century. But fish, evidently a lower rank