VI A CHAPTER OF MISTAKES 61 



the tiger's approach was on the other at a height 

 equal to my own. Naturally the tiger saw me, 

 and I heard him cursing for a long time, as he went 

 along the stream, with the jungle ringing and all 

 the peacocks screaming in answer to his deep 

 "aa-oonh's." 



This " aa-oonh " is the most beautiful of all 

 the tiger calls. It is distinctly a " call " and not 

 a hunting note. It starts with a deep " aa," 

 and the " oonh " is long-drawn and musical, 

 and much higher pitched than the " aa." Like 

 the hunting note, it has a marked vibrating sound. 

 A strong nasal n runs through both call and 

 hunting note. Both can be heard to a great 

 distance in the stillness of the night. I have 

 only heard this " aa-oonh " five times : once on 

 this occasion, once when it was certainly a tigress 

 calling to her mate (vide Chapter IV.), once when 

 a tiger was returning home in the dawn, and twice 

 in the jungle, when I knew nothing of the 

 attendant circumstances. 



The subject of tigers' calls is little understood ; 

 one recent writer says they seldom do call. I do 

 not think he is right. In solitary camps and 

 sitting up in the deep jungles, the voice of the 

 tiger may be often heard; and I have frequently 

 tried to put down the actual sound on paper at 

 the time, or soon afterwards. 



The hunting note I have spoken of is " Eh- 

 unrh," with the second note much deeper than 

 the first. Its object is to frighten game, and so 

 cause it to betray itself to the listening tiger. But 

 it is also used when a tiger is suspicious and has 

 no intention of coming to a kill. The more silent 



