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41 nothing can be done "down wind ;" were it so, not a sanibur 

 " would be left alive ; the tiger would bag them all just as he 

 " pleased, in fact, he would then be able to kill any deer 

 " when he wanted him. Given that point, how does he con- 

 " trive to kill so many and keep himself so fat and sleek ? No 

 " doubt he pounces on many an unwary calf, too young to follow 

 " the protecting guidance of its mother, and so left in some secret 

 " spot till strong enough to go a-field with its parent. Many of 

 " these tender morsels Mr. Tiger treats himself to ; but these will 

 " not suffice for his voracious maw ; he must have stronger meat 

 " and a more lasting supply. We will suppose a tiger requires for 

 " himself one sambur in ten days, but when in company with 

 " his wife, we may safely say they will require double that, and 

 u then again, if accompanied by the family, as was observed on one 

 " occasion not very long ago, where the party amounted to five,* all 

 " very nearly full-grown, what amount of game to satisfy their 

 <4 rapacity would be necessary ! Truly it is beyond our calculation the 

 " extent of mischief such a herd of marauders would perpetrate ; 

 " but all this does not bring us nearer to the point at issue, how 

 " does the tiger take his prey ? We have so far considered 

 " the acuteness on the part of the game to ensure them against total 

 " destruction, and I have only one further observation to record, 

 " and that is, how constantly the presence of a tiger is indicated by 

 " the actions of sambur ; if disturbed by him in a sholah during the 

 " day-time, the deer immediately resort to the open, watching with 

 " intense eagerness the wood they have quitted, and generally 

 " warning the neighbourhood with loud consecutive bells ; the sports- 

 " man readily recognises these sounds and can safely pronounce on 

 " the whereabouts of the tiger ; it is on this fact, of deer giving 

 " this warning notice, that I have based one, or rather part of my 

 " theory regarding the tiger, let us see how it is borne out. 

 " That the tiger is stealthy and quiet in his movements we all know, 

 " that velvet paw of his, so soft and yet so formidable, enables him 

 " to thread the woods and forests so noiselessly that even the sharp- 

 " eared deer may often be taken by surprise and fall a victim to its 

 " blow ; and but for the tell-tale scent emanating from his striped hide 



* See page 22 of these notes. VAGRANT. 



