ne. For lion-hunting, as for many other things,
"_il faut bien de la patience_." Thus it very frequently happens that
a man may search without success for months and months for the
whereabouts of a lion, and then, suddenly, when your hunter is least
prepared for it, and perhaps unarmed, the monarch of the desert will
present himself to his astonished gaze. Notwithstanding the formidable
character attributed to the lion, he will rarely attack any man unless
previously molested. There are three sorts of lions in North
Africa--the black, the tawny, and the grey, though the latter is by
some supposed to be the same genus as the tawny, only grizzled by age.
There are two ways of hunting the lion, by day and by night. That by
day is by battue, when a whole tribe turns out to "beard the lion in
his den" and make him break cover. Those who are well armed are posted
at the outlets of the cover or beaten tracks by which the lion
generally passes; any Europeans who assist are usually so stationed;
they, however, need have but little fear, for the monarch almost
always attacks the _tawny_ native by preference. Is it from sympathy
of colour, _similia similibus gaudent_, or from a sort of instinct
that the European is better armed, or because he supposes the Arab
will make a better repast? The other way of killing the lion is in
ambuscade, of which there are two or three kinds. Sometimes the
hunters dig a hole in the ground near the spot where the lion is in
the habit of passing by night; over this hole they throw branches of
trees, which they cover with stones and mortar; they then place some
bait near, which can be commanded through holes made in the covering,
and when the lion approaches to examine the carcase, he is immediately
brought down. Another way of shooting is from a tree. My friend, Count
Zamoyski, who has a residence at the Lake Fetzara, shot several in
this way. I will, however, refer the reader to Jules Gerard's book for
a description of this kind of sport. I did not stay long enough in
North Africa to be able to judge of it myself. What I recount now with
regard to lion hunting is from hearsay, not from personal experience.

The panther is a more dangerous animal than the lion, and much more
cunning. Like his relative, the cat, he is very difficult to kill, and
it must be a well-directed ball through the head or heart that will
prevent him from avenging his wound. For the rest, he is hunted much
as the lion. I will n