Bulls vs Lions in 19th Cent Spain

[richsc]

I was at the Rousseau exhibit at the National Gallery today, and among the items that the curators feel influenced his work are pages from "Le Petite Journal", a 19th cent French tabloid. On two pages from different dates, there are pictures of a caged lion and a fighting bull having it out. One picture is set in Paris, apparently a special show, and the other is in an bull ring in Spain, with red/yellow/red banners fluttering. The latter is dated Aug 7, 1904. I have never heard of anything other than bulls in the Spanish rings, and yet here is a beast fight going on in the early 20th century. Sounds very Roman. Was this an anomoly or was beast fighting fairly common up until 1900 or so? If so, the traditions of the Roman arena were kept for far longer than I had thought.