A LADY LION-TAMER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5478, 7 June 1879, Page 7

A LADY LION-TAMER.

The Paris Figaro gives the following account of an American larty named Cora, who styles herself " La Fiance dee Lions ":—" The man who conducts the show remarked to Uβ one

evening, that the fair-tamer, who is a remarkably fine woman, has a vocation for her art. When quite little, if she saw a bear in a cage, she wished to play with it as a doll; and when but nine year 3 old the lions would turn their eyes away from her in fear. 'And mark, , added he, 'she never has recourse to violence to conquer the beasts, but seldom uses a whip, and relies upon the peculiar art with which she knows how to win thb affection of the animals.' Miss Cura is not only tho lion's bride, but keeps in the same cage, besides some beautiful specimens of the leonine species, bears, hyenas, dogs, and other animals. These wild beasts and herself form quite a musical and happy family, for which she shews the love of a mother. She nurses them tenderly if they are ill, and amuses them by singing their national songs. When they have worked well she rewards them with extra rations of raw meat and words of encouragement. On one occasion Madamt Iα lionet cuuld not fulfil her maternal duties, and so Miss Cora brought up the fine little whelp by hand. It was a charming sight to watch this young womon thus tenderly feeding the strange nursling. Between the acts some extraordinary auccdotos we related (behind the ecenes) of Miss Cora's Strang* adventures, most of which seemed more terrible than true. Tho most fantastic, if the least veracious, was an adventure which happened to Miss Cora and her menagerie when travelling in Hungary. The party were short of provisions, and found themselves on tho banks of a stream. The liona had been kept on short commons for some days, and were very ravenous. Suddenly a band of brigands appeared, armed to the teeth, guided - by a man who had been dismissed from the menagerie troop for misconduct a few day* before. The officials were seized and secured with cords, like bales of wool. Miss Cora gavo up her jewels aod arms to escape for a moment; she darted to the vans, and, quick as lightning, opened the cage door. The lions, whoso appetitos were sharp set, scenting a superb repast, eprang upon the malefactors, and, with their terrible claws aud jaws, tore them furiously. The brigands fled, leaving four of their band behind them. Their chief, mad for vengeance, tnrned, and marking Miss Cora, shot at her; a lioness fell stunned ; the courageous beast, seeing tho danger which threatened her young mistress, had made a rampart of its body. An hour afterward two of the wounded bandits were eaten up. Th 9 adventure degenerated into a revictualling. One of the lions, satiated and conqueror, bounded to tho fair tamer, and licked her hand with all tho effusion of a devoted heart and a grateful stomach." Thus ends this romantic history.