DEATH OF A LIONESS.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 568, 13 April 1876, Page 3

DEATH OF A LIONESS.

The report of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, presented to the members at the forty-fourth annual meeting, held in Dublin, states that "during the year the gardens sustained a heavy loss in the death of the beautiful lioness familiarly called ' Old Girl.' She was born in the gardens, of South African stock, on September Bth, 1859, and died on October 7th, 1875, after six weeks of prostration from chronic bronchitis. During her long and honoured career she presented the gardens with 54 cubs, of which she actually reared 50, losing only four. This is a feat unprecedented in the annals of menageries and gardens. She was an animal of very high spirit, although very gentle, and was admitted by judges to be the handsomest lioness they had ever seen. It may be mentioned that her offspring not only added to the attraction <Jf the gardens, but

that a judicious sale of a portion of them brought £I4OO in cash for the benefit of the society. ' The cloning weeks of her useful life were marked by a touching incident worthy of being recorded. The carnivora when in health have no objection to the presence of rats in their cages ; on the contrary, they rather welcome them as a relief to the monotony of existence, which constitutes the chief trial of a wild animal in confinement. Thus, it is a common sight to see half a dozen rats gnawing the bones off which the lions have dined, while the satisfied carnivora look on contentedly, giving the poor rats an occasional wink with their sleepy eyes. In illness the case is different, for the ungrateful rats begin to nibble the toes of the lord of the forest before his death, and add considerably to his discomfort. To save our lioness from this annoyance we placed in her cage a floe little tan terrier, who was at first received with a sulky growl ; but when the first rat appeared, and the lioness saw the little dog toss him into the air, catching him with a snap as ht 3 came down, she began to understand what the terrier was for ; she coaxed him to her side, folded her paw around him, and each night the little creature slept at the brea3t of the lioness enfolded with her paws, and watching that his natural enemies did not disturb the rest of his mistress. The rats had a bad time during those six weeks."