Game Animals of India, etc. 



Many years ago a black tiger was found dead near 

 Chittagong. 



In old days exaggerated ideas were prevalent with 

 regard to the maximum length attained by the tiger ; 

 but when criticism was brought to bear on the question 

 there is little doubt that scepticism was pushed too far, 

 and the dimensions underrated. Unfortunately, the 

 measurement of length is not always taken in the same 

 manner ; this being sometimes the interval between 

 the muzzle and the tip of the tail in a straight line, 

 and in other cases the length of the same interval 

 following the curves of the head and body. The latter 

 method, commonly known as " sportsman's measure- 

 ment," is the one usually adopted, and was doubtless 

 employed in the under-mentioned instances. Measured 

 in this fashion, full-grown tigers commonly range 

 between 9 and 10 feet, and tigresses between 8 and 

 9 feet ; but larger animals undoubtedly occur at times. 

 The two largest mentioned in Records of Big Game 

 respectively measure 10 feet 7 inches and 10 feet 

 6 inches. These, however, if we credit sportsmen 

 whose testimony should be above suspicion, by no 

 means approach the maximum. 



In the Asian newspaper for February 1896 Mr. 

 Moray Brown published the following list of unusually 

 laro^e tigers, omitting mention of such as fell short of 

 1 1 feet. " Firstly, we find the late Sir J. F. Yule 

 stating that he has killed tigers of 1 1 feet odd inches 

 twice or thrice. Colonel George Boileau killed a tiger 

 at Muteareah in Oudh well over 12 feet before the 

 skin was removed, and of quite exceptional size. The 

 Hon. J. R. Drummond, sometime Commissioner of 

 Rohilkund, stated that he never saw a 12-foot tiger, 

 though he shot one of 1 1 feet 9 inches, measured as 

 he lay on the ground before being padded. Colonel 

 D. G. Stewart states that the largest tiger he ever saw 

 measured 1 1 feet ^ inch. General Sir H. Green 

 observed that the biggest tiger he ever assisted in 



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