268 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



fleshy, and indisposed to severe exertion. In tlie cool 

 season be follows the herds of cattle wherever they go 

 to graze; and then, no doubt, in the long damp grass 

 brings many a bead of game also to bag. In the hot 

 weather, however, the openness of the forest and the 

 numerous fallen leaves preclude a lazy monster of this 

 sort from getting at game ; and he then locates himself 

 in some strong cover, close to water, and in the neigh- 

 bourhood of where the cattle are taken to drink and 

 graze about on the greener herbage then found by the 

 sides of streams, and, watching his opportunity, kills a 

 bullock as he requires it, and drags it into his cover. Of 

 course, a good many head of game are also killed by 

 such a tiger when they come to drink, but so long as he 

 can easily procure cattle, he does not trouble himself to 

 hunt for them. 



Native shikaris recognise more or less two kinds of 

 tigers, with the names I have given above. It may be 

 matter for speculation which is cause, and which is 

 effect. Is it that as tigers grow old and heavy they 

 take to the easier life of cattle-lifting ? Or has the 

 difference of their pursuits, continued for generations, 

 ^actually resulted in separate breeds, each more adapted 

 for its hereditary method of existence ? I, myself, 

 believe the former to be the truth, and that there really 

 is only one variety of tiger in all peninsular India. It 

 is only to extreme specimens that the above distinctive 

 names are applied ; and the great majority are of an 

 intermediate character, and not distinguished by any 

 particular name. The larger and older the animal, the 

 more yellow his coat becomes, and the fainter and 

 further apart are the stripes. Small tigers are some- 

 times so crowded with the black stripes as almost to 



