Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1897 — A Lioness Shows Her Wit. [ARTICLE]

A Lioness Shows Her Wit.

An interesting exhibition of lion wit has been seen for the past few days in the cage of Rose, the lioness, and her three eubs In the Central Park Menagerie, New York City. The cubs, one female and two males, were born about a month ago. They have since been allowed the shelter of a small box, with a hole cut in it large enough for them, to get in and out of the box. The eubs seemed to Think that the object of life was to get in and out of that hole In the box. So they almost wore themselves out at that occupation, scraped the fur partly off their sides, and made their mother nervous by their continual egress and ingress. When her patience had 1 given out, the mother would catch one of the cubs by the back of the neck and thrust It Into the house. But It would always get out while she was after the others. She could never succeed in getting them all in. The other morning the mother, after several days of hard thinking, contrived to get the upper hand. The eubs had been playing about the cage, sometimes in the box and sometimes out. In a grand rush alii got Into the box at one time. The lioness had apparently been paying no- attention to them, but as soon as she saw that all were inside she got up quickly from the corner where she had been lying and walked over to the little box. Then she lay down with her back to the hole and stopped it up. The eubs squeaked piteously for ten minutes, but it was of no avail.