NOTES ON MAN-EATING TIGERS. 203 



The papers further published an account by an anonymous corre- 

 spondent of the career of this tigress, and an extraordinary story of 

 the tigress allowing her cubs to play with a man she had taken out 

 of a house in the Himalayas. This story I have not been able to 

 verify, so that I am not able to give you particulars. I wrote, 

 however, to Mr. Osmastou for certain particulars about this tigress, 

 and he has very kindly given me some interesting information about 

 her, which I will give to you almost in his very words. 



Man-eaters have been numerous in the Jaunsar district for many 

 years. The district which this tigress frequented was a very 

 large one. She used to make long journeys in a very short time. 

 Having killed a man in one place, she would appear the next night 

 at a place twenty miles off. She frequented a somewhat high belt 

 of the Himalayas, mostly from 5,000 to 10,000 feet high. The spot 

 where Mr. Osmaston killed her at is about 8,000 feet above the sea. 

 No old wounds were visible, but she was very old. Report makes 

 her out to be a man-killer of at least ten years' standing. Her skin 

 was not mangy but a very fair one. The cold climate might, of 

 course, give her a good skin. Her teeth were exceptionally bad. 

 Of her four canines none were sound, and the two upper ones were 

 worn and broken down to about half their original length. They also 

 had two slight cavities in their centres, which were found by probing 

 to extend to a depth of three-quarters of an inch. Mr. Osmaston has 

 sent the drawings of the ca?iines, which can be sketched in our 

 magazine if thought of sufficient interest About seven or eight 

 porcupine quills, mostly broken off to about three inches in leugth, 

 were found in the tigress's body. Two were actually embedded n 

 her tongue. There is not very much game suitable for tigers in the 

 district. Buffaloes and men are easily obtainable, and excellent 

 opportunities afforded of seizing them on the march on the mountain 

 sides. 



This tigress appears undoubtedly to have been the man-eater, 

 because she actually attacked Mr. Osmaston's companion without 

 provocation, except in so far as was due to the fact that these two 

 gentlemen went up in broad daylight to a buffalo killed by her. 

 The papers stated Government offered a reward of Rs. 500 for her. 



I once had another adventure with an alleged man-eater. I have, 



however, no evidence to offer that it was a man-eater, except the fact 



that all the shikaris and villagers of the neighbourhood declared 



that this was the particular miscreant that had eaten a number of 



27 



