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FELIS TIGRIS.
wtest number he had ever seen with their mother was three; but they were small. ‘The cubs are in the habit of
Springing agains tres, and sertching the bark with their laws, as though exulting in their tren ld they get
cmnong. a herd of cattle, strike down as many as they ean reach. When the Tigress has been deprived of her eubs she
txhibits groat distress, and for several nights afterwards stays about the same place, roaring all the time in a very excited
nanner., Nothing, perhaps, in the animal kingdom enn exceed the beauty and grandeur of the Tiger when, free and fen
the roams at will in his native jungles. Perhaps no one had more experience with this tert al than 0
n Forsyth; and he gives, in his book on the highlands of Central India, a graphic description of his meet
just as the sum had risen, as the brute was returning to his lar after a night passed in some murderous foray
route the beast was taking was plainly shown to his pursuer by the aetion of the monkeys; for as he passed bene
frees on which they were, the nimble animals climbed up to the highest branches, shook them violently, and poured forth
‘torrent of abuse at their mortal enemy that could be heard for miles away. ‘The river, along whose bank the Tiger was
walking, made a great curve; and by swimming across the neck of this the hunter succeeded in
and, having hid himsel, waited for the erature to come up. At length he was visible, ad
walk, with his tail tucked down, and looking exnely like the guilty midnight murderer he is.
fence; for ns he went he looked feagfully behind him and up at the mo
luem not to betray where he was When nearly opposite to the Captain, he enme out from the
jdht of the just-risen sun; and he looked such a picture of fearful beauty!—with his velvety step
ind undulating movements the finn muscles working through his loose glossy skin, and the eruel yellow eyes blinking in
the sun over e row of ivory teeth, ns he Ticked his lips and whiskers after a night's feed.” As he reached the mouth of
shall ravine the hunter fred; and with a roar that silenced every chattering monkey in the trees the beast bounded into
he thicket. Shorly afterward, on following him, the animal was found lying dead, shot very near the heart. The Tige
snd of cortain localities, and year after year, if not killed, will be met with in the same place, although others
suitable may be quite near. Tt likes to haunt ruins and lie on the top of walls. Like the Lion, occasionally the
somes a man-eter; and when he has once commenced this practice, he seeks this kind of prey in preference to an
Te is generally observed that old Tigers are the ones that seek human food; for, thei teeth becoming blunted and
ayed, they cannot easily overpower cattle or other beasts. ‘The destruction caused by these cannibals ean be best
tei from the report made by Captain Rogers to the Social-Science Society, when it appeared that a single
ie destruction of thirteen villages, and 256 square miles of country were thrown out of cultivation, In 1869 on
Killed 127 people, and stopped a publie road for many weeks, In Nuydanea a Tigress in 1867, 1868, and 1860 killed
respectively 47, total 108 p The Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces in India reports the
1867-68, 289; 1868-69, 285; total 946. Jerdon says
sx. He also states that in the
ned villagers were annually killed. The
whieh many others “2, exhibit suficiently what a dreadful scourge this animal is in th
in which he is found. ‘The author just mentioned remarks that among the natives many superstitions
the ‘Tiger. They believe that every year an additional lobe is added to its liver, and that the
medicinal properties, that the claws arranged in a circle protect a ebild from the evil eye when hung around
eck, and hat the whiskers are a deadly poison ; consequently they are burnt off as soon as the animal is Killed. ‘The
‘of the ‘Tiger is enten by some ofthe lower castes in Indi
This nctve creature ascends trees to a certain height with great ficlity; and a wounded individual docs not esis
K his adversary ina tre, should he happen to have taken such a positon in order to be in a secure place from which
> five his rifle. It is related that several officers of the 76th English Regiment, stationed in India, went on a Tiger-hunt
ner the Manair river, about 15 miles from its junction with the Godavery. A ‘Tiger was started, and was endeavouring
to break buck towards the beaters, when a shot furmed him; and he then galloped towards a tree in which a lieutenant and
ndant were ported about 10 fet from the ground, ‘Two ineffectual shots were given, when the beast sprang int
ragged the gumbearer to the ground, and then, returning, brought down the officer also. His frends eame to
nnd the Tiger was killed; but the unfortunate men were so mangled that they both died two days afterwards
FELIS TIGRIS
The usual colour of the Tiger isa dark tan, striped iregularly with black. No two individuals are marked exactly alike
and the shade of the groundcolour varies greatly. As before stated, the specimens from Sumatra are darker than thos
from the continent, and without shite‘on the fice ; while those from Siberia and the far northern parts of Asia are very
in evlour, the fur generally long and thick, the tail inlined to be bushy, and the white of the fice and underparts is
very extensive and pure. M. David states that in Mantchouria the colour also varies greatly, some individuals being of
« brownish black, others perfectly whit
The ekull of the ‘Tiger is very similar to that of the Lions and there is not much difference between them in size
frequently that of the present speciesbeing Fall as large as the largest of those belo its great relative. One character
will always serve to distinguish the skulls of these great Cats from each other. The frontal processes of the maxi a
truncated in the bout pointed in the Lion. If a line is drawn connecting the ends of the frontal processes of
tnarilaies, it will be found to fall below the frontal proceses of the nasal jon it will go above them, and rest
intirely on the frontals. The nasals are depressed posterioly, and form a median groove at the symphysis,
ving line of the lower half of the nasal aperture in front takes the form of a double eurve, As rule
rita space is not quite 90 wie nor eo flat in the Tiger asin the Lion. The inferior border of the ramus is straight
Be ee measles SOE la ley presi ota jw fii ian When viewed fra
abore, the Ti
The Plate contains represent various styles of Tiger known, ‘The fj
the ordinary Bengal Tiger; the bochind is the long-haired form from Northern Asin
the Sumatran style, without any white markings. All are portraits, every mark and line having
from the specimens. |