43. _The ARCTIC FOX_ (Canis lagopus) _is an animal of the dog tribe, smaller than the common fox, of white or bluish grey colour; the hair very thick, long, and soft, the tail straight and bushy, and the feet very hairy._
_The extreme parts of North America, and the country around the Frozen Sea, are those which the Arctic fox principally inhabits._
These animals are principally killed on account of their _skins_, their fur being light and warm, though not durable. In winter this changes to a _white_ colour, and becomes much thicker. The inhabitants of Greenland split the _tendons_, and use them as thread; they also sometimes eat the _flesh_ of these animals.
The modes in which they are caught are various: by stone traps; in holes in the snow, the openings to which are surrounded by snares; in pitfalls, the surfaces of which are so covered that the animals are unable to discover them; and with arrows and guns.
44. _The LION is an animal of the cat tribe, distinguished, from all others, by his body being of uniform tawny colour, the tail being long and bushy at the end, and the neck and chest of the male being clad with a shaggy mane._
_The deserts of the interior of Africa, Persia, India, and Japan, are inhabited by these animals._
The _skin_ of the lion was formerly used as the tunic of heroes. At this day it serves both as a mantle and a bed for many of the African tribes. His _flesh_, though of strong and disagreeable flavour, is occasionally eaten by the savages, who do not dislike it the more on that account. The _fat_ of the lion is considered to possess many medicinal properties.
It is a characteristic of the lion that he does not often attack any animal openly, unless provoked, or impelled by hunger. The immense strength of his body, his dauntless courage, and the great quantity of food that is requisite to his support, all, however, tend to render him an object of dread. His voice, when irritated, is an horrible roar, which is particularly loud and tremendous when in the act of springing upon and seizing his prey. The only mode of alarming these animals, and preventing a threatened attack, is by fire; the notion of their being alarmed at the crowing of a cock is entirely fabulous.