CATS OF DESERT AND JUNGLE. 21 



9. " While the lion reigns in Africa," writes Hartwig, 

 " the tiger is lord and master of the Indian jungles. A 

 splendid animal, elegantly striped with black on a white 

 and golden ground, graceful in every movement, but of a 

 most bloody and cruel nature. The long body resting on 

 short legs wants the proud bearing of the lion ; but the 

 naked head, the rolling eye, the scarlet tongue lolling 

 from the jaws, and the whole expression of the tiger, in- 

 dicate a blood-thirsty, pitiless ferocity which wreaks itself 

 on every living thing that comes within his grasp. In 

 the bamboo jungle, on the banks of pools and rivers, he 

 waits for the approaching herds. There he seeks his prey, 

 or rather multiplies his murders, for he leaves one victim 

 writhing in the agony of death only to rend and drink 

 the blood of another. 



10. " The tiger is particularly fond of dense willow or 

 bamboo bushes on swampy ground, as there he finds the 

 cool shade he requires for his rest during the heat of the 

 day after his nocturnal excursions. It is then very diffi- 

 cult to detect him ; but the other inhabitants of the jun- 

 gle, particularly the peacock and the monkey, betray his 

 presence. The scream of the former is the sure sign that 

 the tiger is rising from his lair ; and the monkeys, who 

 during the night are frequently surprised by the panther 

 or the boa, never allow their 



watchfulness to be at fault 

 during the day. When, on 

 examining a jungle, the trav- 

 eler sees a monkey quietly 

 seated on the branches, he may 



be perfectly sure that no dan- " T he~Tiver"at Home. 



gerous animal lurks about. 



11. " Tiger-hunting is a chief pleasure of the Indian 

 rajahs, who forbid any one else to chase on their domains. 



