I. 



The Mammals of the Malay Peninsula. 



Part II. 



CARNIVORA : — Probably there is no part of the world which for 

 its size contains so many animals of this order as the Malay 

 Peninsula. Very little is known of the habits of most in the wild state, 

 since almost all are nocturnal and most live concealed all day in the 

 masses of creepers at the tops of the bigger trees. 



The tiger or " Rimau " (Felis tigris) is still over-plentiful in Singa- 

 pore, and few of the larger forests are without one or more for long ; 

 but so dense is the undergrowth, and so quiet is the animal, that it is 

 rarely seen and very seldom shot. It inhabits the more open country 

 and small patches of forest. In the dense hill-forests of the interior 

 it is not usually found, and is replaced by the black panther. The 

 animals are seldom very large, and are light coloured. They habitu- 

 ally swim over to Singapore, across the Johore Strait, usually by way 

 of the intermediate islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. They 

 make the passage at night, landing in the early morning. As so 

 much of the coast is mangrove swamp, and the animals do not risk 

 going through the mud, they are only able to cross where the shores 

 are sandy, and thus they have regular starting and landing places. 

 They often come over to Singapore for breeding, and the slopes of 

 the wooded hill Bukit Timah and the sandy woods of Changi, near 

 one of their favourite landing places, are the usual localities selected. 

 The young are brought forth in December or January as a rule, and 

 parents and young remain together in the same locality till about 

 Easter, when, as by this time the food in the locality is exhausted, 

 the family scatters, and either wanders over Singapore, or, if the 

 young are old enough, swims back to Johore. 



During the day the tiger remains sleeping in the shady parts of 

 the jungle, unless the weather is wet and windy, when it becomes 

 restless and wanders about. About four or five o'clock it rouses itself 

 and begins to roam about in search of prey, continuing its walk till 

 about eight o'clock in the morning, when it again retires to sleep. 

 When very hungry it will seek food in the daytime, and has been 

 known to attack bullock carts in broad daylight in Malacca. It lives 

 for the most part on pigs, wild and tame, deer, dogs, fowls, and 



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