186 



** some years back at Pykarra, not far from the Bungalow ; 

 " the animal took a fancy to a Todah in preference to the buffaloes 

 " he was tending. Two of the Todahs' people were witnesses 

 " of the affair, and they described how the tiger behaved like a cat 

 " with a mouse, having caught the man, amused himself for some 

 " time by letting him go, and then dodging him as the poor victim 

 " tried to escape, before killing him outright, notwithstanding the 

 " shouts and waitings of the two spectators. It is a moot question 

 " concerning man-eating tigers as to what induces them to take to 

 " preying on human beings ; some affirm that it is only when age 

 " overtakes the animal and he finds himself unable to cope with his 

 " ordinary victims, deer or cattle, that he falls upon man, and it is 

 " stated in support of this view that these man-eaters are mangy 

 " and decrepid beasts, sans tooth, sans hair, and sans anything 

 " and everything, that makes the tiger the formidable creature 

 "he is in his prime ; this is unquestionably partially true, 

 " but man-eaters have also constantly been found to be sleek, 

 " lusty, and in their full strength and vigour, quite as often 

 " as the reverse ; it is not therefore entirely dependant on age 

 " and concomitant weakness that the tiger takes to this habit. I 

 " think the argument advanced by many observers and naturalists, 

 " that the animal, either accidentally or by press of hunger, having 

 " once seized a man and found out what an easy capture he has 

 " made, and in addition that the flesh is palatable, takes advantage 

 " of this acquired knowledge, and thenceforth becomes that dreaded 

 " being, a " man-eater," is equally reasonable with the former, and 

 " may be accepted, perhaps, as the more probable of the two. But 

 " let us take up the proposed view of this animal's character as a 

 " poacher and destroyer of game before we discuss his homicidal pro- 

 " pensities further. There are divers opinions as to the exact mode 

 " by which the tiger takes his prey ; popularly he is supposed to lie 

 " in ambush and spring on his victim as it passes his lair, or watch - 

 " ing by a pool await the arrival of animals in quest of water. 

 " These would offer but precarious chances, even to so cunning and 

 " stealthy a foe as the tiger, as all wild animals are so wonderfully 

 '* cautious in their approaches to such resorts. The tiger too 

 ** betrays his presence to them by that peculiar smell attaching to 



