52 1177 SNTRAND A AGAATNL,

rue or an empty sack, as though the pelt had been cast, and the animal were somewhere clse. This expedient s largely practised, unul 1t would scem the most natural thing n the world for a keeper to enter with a pitehfork and toss all those empty skins mto once heap, to be carrted away on wheelbarrows. Of the counter-cexpedients of the artists —of the pinchings of tails Teft near hars, of the twitehings of protrusive whiskers; and the pea-shootings in the countenance- let there be silence, lest others be tempted to imitate and fall victims to the casual paw, or to the httle less deadly detection of Sutton, the keeper.

[Sven o humbug may be a handsome humbug. [.ook at Duke, the wicked old Nubian i the end cage, as he sits serenely and loftily looking over your head. He knows better than you do that you admire his fine, up- lifted head and his great tawny and black manc. Duke s agreat character i his way. Handsome old chap as he 1s; and proud of it, Duke never was o gallant--never a lioness's lion. All =~ T sorts of attempts have RS, N ICK Lo been made during his long residence here to mate him, but Duke draws the Time at Duchesses. Perhaps he would treat the ladies better 1if he were allowed to make his own sclection. When they are chosen by the kecpers he chews them himself. e once gave a lioness a fatal bite, but that s his only claim to the designation of a lady- killer. And so he lies curled up alone, hugging himsclf with reciprocal affection. 1 remember a keeper onece making a long and claborate joke about this lion putting up s dukes and putting down the Duchesses, hut have forgotten its exact terms.

Another Tion, a little further along, does all Duke’'s share of love-making, in addition to more than his own. The keepers have their own name for this lon, but | prefer to call him The Gentleman Next Door, any loness who happens to be in the adjoining cage being Mrs. Nickleby. Hc does not throw her cucumbers and vegetable marrows, for scveral obvious reasons ;. but he roars and scratches at the iron partition door with a vigour proper to the part, . while Mrs. Nickleby lolls indifferently L Lo

DUKL.

THEL GENTLEMAN NENT DOOR.

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