Michael Mellen, age 13, of Charlestown, Mass., for his question:

Why is the lion called the king of beasts?

A lion can crush the skull of an ox with one blow from has mighty paw. But he is no stronger than a tiger and the tiger is often smarter and always more cruel, Many a bold young lion has been trampled down by a big angry elephant and most lions run in panic from the terrifying antics of a gorilla. However, a lion in his prime could defeat almost any other animal in a fair fight.

Perhaps this is why he has been given the title King of Beasts, a title which he has held since earliest times. It is most likely that this title was given to him: rather than to the tiger, because of his character. The tiger often kills because he loves to kill and he does not always fight a fair fight. But the lion kills only when he needs to eat and when he fights it is almost always a fair fight. True, he may snarl and scratch when he is tormented, but he keeps his royal dignity even when made a captive in a zoo.