generations ago, and the lion has
forgotten that use now.

The tail itself, as I have already told you, hangs down straight, and
does not naturally curl. It may be so because the lion does not use his
tail constantly, as other animals of the Cat Tribe do, such as the tiger
and the leopard. Why? Because those other animals live in denser
jungles, and so they constantly use their tail as a feeler; that is, as
the animal walks through the jungle his tail _feels_ the objects which
it touches, just like a hand; and in that way the tail gives warning of
any danger coming from behind. So these felines that live in the dense
jungles have got used to keeping their tail stretched out like a hand;
and the tail is curled upward so as not to rub against the ground.

But as the lion usually lives amid scantier vegetation, he does not need
to feel his surroundings quite so constantly; and so his tail has lost
the power of curling itself upward.

Of course, the lion still uses his tail to express his love or hate, as
many animals do. He can express his affection by wagging his tail, just
like a dog, though he seldom has any reason to show his affection for
men; a tame lion, however, has actually been known to do that. But he
may very often have reason to express his anger, in fact, whenever a
hunter tries to kill him. Then the lion lashes his tail in anger from
side to side, before leaping at the hunter.

CHAPTER XI

The Lion's Daily Life

Now I shall tell you about the remaining habits of the lion, and how he
lives every day.

Lion cubs at birth are usually twins or triplets. Sometimes four or even
five cubs are born together; but then they are very difficult to rear,
and one or two of them usually die. So a lioness has generally a family
of two or three cubs to take care of. She brings them up in almost the
same way that a tigress rears her cubs, as I have already described. The
lioness feeds her cubs with her milk for about the first three months,
and after that she gives them a little tender meat.

When the lion cubs are six months old, they are able to eat all kinds of
meat and to follow their mother to hunt the prey. She teaches them the
tricks of the jungle, just as the tigress teaches _her_ cubs.

So, by the time the lion cubs are about a year old, they can kill the
prey by themselves. Their mother just looks on, and _criticizes_ their
work! That is, she tells them if they have done their work well, or if
th