are some who think that the
Tiger has a better claim to the _throne_. In point of size and
strength, there is not much difference between these two animals. The
lion _appears_ larger, on account of his shaggy mane; but specimens of
the tiger have been taken whose measurement was equal to that of the
largest lion. Otherwise, the tiger is decidedly superior in courage, in
address, and in beauty; in fact, the royal tiger is one of the most
beautiful of animals; while the lion, notwithstanding the great fame he
enjoys, is among the very ugliest of brutes.

These two powerful creatures often meet in the jungles of India, and try
their strength in single combat. It is not decided which is superior in
prowess, since victory is sometimes on one side and sometimes on the
other. No doubt this depends on the individuals who may engage, for
lions are not all alike, nor tigers neither. Both differ in strength
and courage, just as men do; and this difference is caused by a variety
of circumstances--such as age, size, season of the year, nature of the
country and climate, and many like contingencies.

Remember that the lion is found both in Asia and Africa, and nowhere
else. He inhabits the whole of Africa, from the Cape to the shores of
the Mediterranean, and there are three well-marked varieties on that
continent. In Asia he is only found in its southern part--that is, in
the tropical and sub-tropical regions; and there are also two or three
varieties of the Asiatic lion.

With regard to the tiger, he is altogether an Asiatic. There are no
tigers in Europe, Africa, and America--of course we mean in their wild
state; and the stories of tiger-hunts in Africa and America, frequently
to be met with in books and newspapers, are the narratives of mere
ignorant travellers, who confound the royal tiger with several species
of spotted cats--of which we shall presently speak. We may add that the
tiger, although exclusively Asiatic, is not exclusively tropical in his
haunts. Tigers are more abundant in the hot jungles of India and some
of the larger islands of the Indian Ocean than elsewhere; but they have
also been observed far to the north of the Himalayan chain on the great
_steppes_ that extend almost to the confines of Siberia.

To continue the monarchical analogy; there are four cats that may be
called the princes of the family. These are the _Jaguar_, the
_Leopard_, the _Panther_, and the _Hunting-leopard_ or _Cheetah_.