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horseman does, when the sand was heavy, they then, after seeing 

 the "kill" at their leisure, watched the tigress return to her 

 original covert near the water, whence, last, not least, they stirred 

 her forth to meet her death. 



I have lately been fortunate enough to be able to watch a tiger 

 for some time ; and relate the incident, not that it is worth any- 

 thing in itself, but because it may serve to illustrate in some way 

 the cat-like tactics of the animal. 



A few months ago, on the 17th of November 1868, while going 

 to look for ibex, I was passing Over the large hill in front of the 

 Avalanche bungalow on the Kondahs, so often mentioned in these 

 notes. Suddenly my gun carrier, a man well known at Ootaca- 

 mund, asked me for my glass and whispered that he could see a 

 tiger crossing a bare ridge about half a mile off ; his assistant cor- 

 roborated this, but even with the glass, I could not succeed in 

 making out what these two men had discovered with the naked 

 eye. I fancy that I have as strong and quick vision as most men, 

 backed by fair practice in observing wild animals ; and on this 

 occasion I own I thought the men were attempting to deceive 

 me in order to restore my temper which had been sorely ruffled by 

 them the day before. They insisted that they saw a large tiger, 

 not a panther as I suggested it might be, and, when it passed out 

 of view, agreed that we should probably come on it again by skirt, 

 ing another spur of the hill : I consented to this, although with- 

 out placing the slightest faith in what they said. Presently, how- 

 ever, there was no doubt that they were right, for about five or six 

 hundred yards from us, appeared the tiger, a magnificent hill- 

 animal, looking in his Neilgherry winter clothing much heavier 

 and shorter on the leg than any of his brethren of the plains 

 ever do. He was quietly crossing a bare and rather rocky ridge, 

 evidently looking out keenly for his breakfast and taking advantage 

 of every inch of cover much, with all reverence be it said, as a cat 

 in a cabbage garden looks out for sparrows. He sank nearly to a 

 c rouching position before attempting to top any ridge or hillock ; 

 and thus, with all but his head concealed, cautiously surveyed the 

 ground in his front ; to us, on his flank, he was perfectly visible. 

 It may have been by chance, but, as he was then working, he was 



