A TIGER'S RUSE 49 



intently, as if spell-bound, seeming to have no idea 

 of what it was, and it was not till the tiger had got 

 sufficiently near to secure her with ease, that she 

 took to her heels, only to be overtaken and pulled 

 down. Now here we have something worth all the 

 accounts of tiger-shootings that have ever been 

 written, and all the tigers that have ever been shot. 

 So far from the tiger endeavouring to conceal him- 

 self in toto^ it would appear, from this, that he makes 

 his great brindled head, with its glaring eyes, a very 

 conspicuous object, which, as it is the only part of 

 him seen or remarked, looks curious merely, and 

 excites wonder, rather than fear. I know, myself, 

 how much nearer to birds I am able to get, by ap- 

 proaching on my hands and knees, in which attitude 

 " the human form divine " is not at once recognised. 

 Therefore I can see no reason why the same prin- 

 ciple of altering the characteristic appearance should 

 not be employed by some beasts of prey, and long 

 before I read this account I had been struck with 

 the great size of the head of some of the tigers in 

 the Zoological Gardens. 



The moral of it all, as it appears to me, is that, 

 before coming to any settled conclusion as to the 

 meaning of colour and colour markings in any 

 animal, we should get accurate and minute informa- 

 tion in regard to such animal's habits. As this is, 

 really, a most important matter, why should there 

 not be scholarships and professorships in connection 

 with it } It is absurd that the only sort of know- 

 ledge in natural history which leads to a recognised 

 position, with letters after the name, is knowledge 

 of boncs, muscles, tissues, &c. The habits of 



