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" numbers would be destroyed that he, when hungry and sharp* 

 " set, is always on the prowl there can be no question, and it is on 

 " these occasions that he is supposed to adopt a very wily plan to 

 " secure his food. On a late occasion when a well-known sports- 

 " man killed a fine tiger at Tippacadoo, he was attracted to the spot 

 " by the " belling" of sambur and " call" of the spotted deer ; 

 " on quietly approaching he perceived the tiger lying down under 

 " some bamboos, watching or listening to the spotted deer who 

 " kept on calling ; before any result could be observed a well- 

 " planted ball slew the tiger in his couch. It then however 

 " occurred to him that it was not at all improbable that this act of 

 " the tiger lying down calmly in sight or hearing of his prey might 

 " be one of his devices to allure the game within reach ; we know 

 " how proverbial the curiosity of deer is, and how when uncertain 

 " of the object before them, they will at times advance toward it ; 

 " in the sambur this is constantly the case, and may it not be that 

 " the tiger is aware of this propensity, and so like jacko and 

 "the crows, feign sleep or death to attract the unwary and 

 " inquisitive victims ? for my part there is, I think, great pro- 

 " bability that this is one of Mr. Tiger's dodges. That he also 

 " tries his speed at times, the following instance, communicated by 

 " the tiger-killer in question, is good proof. One afternoon on 

 " reaching the summit of a high hill, commanding a well-known 

 " valley for game, he spied three or four sambur in a swamp 

 " below, he noticed that they were on the qui vive, and could not 

 " divine the cause, especially as what appeared to be another, 

 " and from its size a stag was lying down in the swamp, not 

 "very far -from the deer. On turning the glass on this object, 

 " to his surprise he saw it was a grand tiger, and while in the very 

 " act of looking at him, he saw him gather himself up, and with 

 " three or four magnificent bounds fly through the air in the 

 " direction of the sambur ;* the latter were, however, too quick for 

 " their agile foe, and scampering off, got safe away. The tiger 

 " crouched sulkily where they had been, and on the hunter appear- 

 " ing some two or three hundred yards off, he was away like 



*Vide page 22 of these notes. VAGRANT. 



