139 



THE TIGER. 



Felis Tigris AUCTORUM. 

 PLATE VI. 



NEARLY equal to the lion in strength, and per- 

 haps excelling him in activity, the tiger has heen 

 generally placed second in this trihe of animals, and 

 will bear a very prominent part among the Felinae of 

 the Indian continent. In many places he is the 

 scourge of the country, and neither man nor beast 

 can with safety inhabit the districts which he has se- 

 lected for his own. 



The general form and appearance of the tiger is 

 so well known, that a very short description will suf- 

 fice, and which will be assisted by the accompanying 

 illustration, taken from a specimen in the Edinburgh 

 Museum. He possesses no trace of the shaggy 

 mane which adds so much to the bold and majestic- 

 looking front of the lion, and his countenance scowl- 

 ing under the different passions, conveys a greater idea 

 of treachery and wanton cruelty, than really belongs 

 to the animal. In shape he is more lengthened and 

 slender than the lion, the head rounder, and on the 

 whole form more cat-like, and all his motions are per- 

 formed with the greatest grace and apparent ease. In 



