176 A JUNGLE RECOLLECTION. 



size would be very materially lessened. Of course 

 tigers are large sometimes, but one very seldom 

 meets with an animal exceeding eleven feet in 

 length, the common size being from nine to nine 

 and a half feet. Soon after the sun rose a large 

 crowd of natives from the village came to see what 

 success I had had, and great was their delight at 

 seeing two of their dreaded foes past doing mis- 

 chief. A couple of " hacheries " (native carts) were 

 brought from the village, and in these the defunct 

 tigers were dragged back in triumph, the natives 

 dancing round the carts and singing extempore 

 songs in derision of the tigers. The chorus taken 

 up by the whole crowd was something deafening, 

 and I was glad when having reached the village 

 the important ceremony of singeing the tiger's 

 whiskers was gone through. The performance of 

 this rite arises from the superstitions of the natives, 

 who imagine that if the custom be not complied 

 with they will be haunted by the tiger's ghost. In 

 the present case the oldest " Shikaree " (hunter) 

 present abused the tiger's ancestors up to the fifth 

 generation, singing away most assiduously the whole 

 time, and finished by spitting on his face and right 

 jaw in token of contempt. The claws are held in 

 great veneration, for it is believed that a charm 

 composed of two of them will render the possessor 

 invulnerable against similar weapons. 



