THE TIGER. 55 
one of these favoured spots has been killed, or has died in the 
ordinary course of nature, his place is promptly taken by a new- 
comer. Preying generally upon animals killed by themselves, 
although frequently making a meal from any carcase that may 
lie in their way, and often resorting again and again to their 
kill till it is in an advanced stage of decomposition, ‘Tigers may 
be roughly divided, according to the nature of their food, into 
-game-killers, cattle-lifters, and man-eaters ; although, of course, 
there is no hard-and-fast division between either of these classes. 
The game-killer preys chiefly upon Deer, Pigs, and Antelopes, 
although it will also kill Monkeys, Peafowl, and even Porcu- 
pines, together with many others of the smaller Mammals ; 
while in populated districts its makes an occasional onslaught 
oncattle. While young Buffaloand Gaur not unfrequently fall 
victims to Tigers of this class, adults of both species are com- 
monly left alone; although at times a Tiger will screw up his 
courage to attack even one of the latter, mostly with success- 
ful results. Cattle-lifters are always Tigers inhabiting the 
neighbourhood of villages ; and as they find such animals easy 
victims, they generally confine their attention to these alone. 
From the cattle-lifter, a Tiger may develop into a man-eater ; 
and as a human prey is still more easily killed and carried off 
than a Cow or an Ox, a Tiger which has once taken to this kind 
of livelihood, never forsakes it. The superstitious dread of 
Tigers, and especially man-eaters, entertained by many Hindu 
tribes, coupled with the timid nature of many of these tribes, 
is one reason why so many man-eaters are allowed to carry 
off their toll of victims with impunity, until a term is put 
to their existence by the rifle of the European sportsman. 
Should, however, such aid be not forthcoming, and the ravages 
of the man-eater become intolerable, it not unfrequently 
happens that the inhabitants will desert their village, rather 
than turn out ez masse and encompass the destruction of their 
