tige r o f Asia. T he strength and agility o f this animal is wonderful ;< I ha ve seen one receive nine balls, before he fell. When the Nimmer is known to be in any particular district, deep holes are made in the ground, and covered ligh tly over, on which i f he happen to tread, the ground’sinks, and he falls in. T h e sides o f the hole being formed'like an inverted cone, the animal cannot get out, though he w ill make many efforts to regain his lib e r ty ; in the mean time the hunters come up and shoot him. A t other places where he is supposed likely to pass, they build up a wall, and cover it over, making a hole or two sufficiently large to admit a musket-barrel, and here the patient Shelluh w ill wait whole days for his enemy, liv in g all the time on (Hassowa) barley-meal mixed with water. After building a few o f these walls enclosed like rooms, several Shelluhs will go in quest o f the Nimmer, each taking his station either in these buildings, or in some lofty tree, and waiting a favourable opportunity to get a shot at him. T he Arabs say that this ferocious animal, after he has seized his prey, if he be not impelled b y hunger, w ill lea ve it for a few days, and afterwards return to the spot and devour the carcase, even if it be putrid. The Lion is too well known to need a particular description in this place : he is hunted by the Africans in the same manner as the N im m e r ; but they do not consider the chase to be so dangerous: the lion is not so active, nor does he climb as the Nimmer does. T he Arabs say that if a person unarmed meet the Nimmer, he is sure o f being destroyed ; but that if, on the sight o f a lion, he let his garments drop off, and stand before him undaunted, seeming to defy him, the lion w ill turn round and quie tly walk off. Few people would be inclined to try the experiment for the purpose o f ascertaining the truth o f this assertion. In the forests near the city o f Mequinas the lions are v e ry fierce, and have frequently been known so to infest the roads, as to render it impracticable for the caravans to pass. T h e y are seen also at the foot o f the Atlas, where the country is well wooded. T h e flesh, when eaten, is said, by the Arabs, to inspire courage. The Bear.— Various conjectures have been formed respecting this animal’s being a native o f A f r ic a : from the concurrent testimony o f the inhabitants, I am o f opinion that it does not exist in West B a rb a ry ; it may, however, have been seen (as I have heard it has) in the upper regions o f Atlas, which are covered with snow during the whole year. T h e name given by the Arabs to this animal is Dubb.* The Sibsib.— T his animal appears to be o f an intermediate species between the rat and the sq u ir r e l; it is somewhat similar to the ichneumon in form, but not h a lf its size ; it inhabits the Atlas, and lives in holes among the stones and caverns o f the mountains; it has brown hair, and a beautiful tail (resembling that o f the squirrel) about the length o f its body. T h e Shelluhs and Arabs eat this animal, and consider it a delicacy: and it is the only one the Mohammedans torment before death ; this is done by taking hold o f its fore and hind legs, and rubbing its back on a stone or flat surface for a few minutes, which causes the animal to scream o u t ; they then cut its throat according to the Mohammedan custom. Seeing some Shelluhs in South A tla s performing this operation, and asking their motives for it, they informed me that the rubbing made the flesh eat ten d e r; that in * The Saharawan lizard is also called Dubb by the Arabs (See under Reptiles), and from the similitude of name, the conjecture that bears are found in Africa may have originated.
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