492 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



It would be of general interest if sportsmen would weigh animals they 

 shoot. A Salter's circular spring balance to weigh 300 lbs. will give sufficiently 

 accurate results as, with due care, an animal can be weighed in two or 

 three pieces with but little loss of blood and consequent guess work. 



Perhaps an Engineer member of the Society can suggest a simple 

 weighing balance to weigh up to say 2,000 lbs. ; such as that used by 

 Mr, Roosevelt during his African expedition ? 

 Here are Deccan Rangers' records — 



Tiger 10' 1" 425 lbs. Tigress 9' 330 lbs. 

 9' 10" 432 1 „ „ 9' 282 „ 

 9' 10" 425 „ „ 8' 11" 284 „ 

 „ 9' 6" 447i „ „ 8' 11" 245 „ 

 „ 9' 6" 420 „ „ 8' 9i" 281 „ 

 „ 9' 6" 370 „ „ 8' 8" 270 „ 

 „ 9' 4" 400 „ „ 8' 8" 285 „ 

 „ 9' 4" 368 „ „ 8' 6" 250 „ 

 „ 9' 2" 330 „ „ 8' 5V' 240 „ 



„ 8' 5" 256 „ 

 " ,,8 5 253 ,, 



Averar/e ; Tigers: 402 lbs., tigresses: 270 lbs. All these animals were 

 shot in the Hyderabad country, and those obviously not full grown are 

 excluded. Col. Fraser records that a friend (Col. Baigree), who had shot 

 over 200 ligers, said that the 432^ lb. beast was the largest — excepting 

 one, that he had ever seen. 



In 1872 (Vol. V, p. 73), the late Sir Montagu Gerard contributed mea- 

 surements of some tigers shot by him in Central India. 



His last expedition, which was in 1898, in the Northern part of the 

 Hyderabad country, brought his personal bag of tigers to 227. 

 His 1872 records are as follows : — 

 Average of 15 tigers, 8' 11" 

 „ of 20 tigresses, 8' 1^" 

 Measurements taken from point of nose to tip of tail, the tape loosely 

 following the curves of the body. 



Other writers to the Magazine record measurements of tigers, but 

 there is nothing to indicate that these are reliable, or how they were taken, 

 so they are not mentioned here. 



In " Shooting in Cooch Behar " the Maharajah records that the largest 

 tiger — tail included — that he ever saw or shot was 10' 5", this animal weigh- 

 ing 504 lbs. The heaviest tiger actually weighed 546 lbs. " fully gorged " 

 and amongst the records given are 7 tigers which weighed 500 

 lbs. or more. From this it is evident that the tigers of Bengal attain 

 larger dimensions than those of Central India and Hyderabad. At page 

 144 of Vol. XXIII of our Journal, the measurements of a Central India 

 tiger are given as 11' 6'', the body being 8' 2" and tail 3' 4", It is a pity 

 this animal was not weighed. 



*&' 



Vaiuou.s Notes as to Tigers. 



Colonel Fraser records it as the result of his experience, his conclusion 

 being finally arrived at owing to an instance which he relates (Vol. VIII, 

 1875, p. 101) that " there is no doubt now in my mind that a male tiger 

 does provide for his offspring in the absence, from causes unknown to him, 

 of the mother.'"' This is a valuable note as it is made by a sportsman of 

 great experience who is also a careful writer. 



There are several contributions regarding tigers feeding on carcases of 

 animals not killed by themselves, and of them feeding on carrion. 



