BEASTS OF PREY 



33 



300 pounds) the victim collapses powerless, and soon gives forth its last 

 breath under his terrible claws and teeth. 



Man, however, by his lofty bearing, and especially by a sure and 

 steady look, inspires even the lion with respect. With shy mien the 

 " king of the desert " makes way for the "lord of the earth." On the 

 other hand, after he has once discovered man's real physical weakness, 

 he prefers human flesh to any other food ; in the words of the Kaffirs, 

 he becomes a "man-eater." 



The Tiger (Felis tigris] inhabits all the countries of Asia, from the 



m 



\ -I 



ROYAL TIGER IN THE JUNGLE. (One-thirteenth natural size.) 



Sunda Islands to the Amoor, and from the shores of the Pacific Ocean 

 to the foot of the Caucasus. The farther to the north it lives, the thicker 

 is its fur. Its favourite haunts are swampy districts of the tropical zone 

 thickly overgrown with bamboo and similar bushes. The magnificent 

 colouring of its coat appears very conspicuous ; this, however, is not 

 really the case, for, according to the unanimous reports of travellers, it 

 so closely assimilates to its surroundings that one of these robbers 

 lurking quietly in the jungle frequently escapes the eye even of an 

 experienced hunter. The red or yellow ground colour of the body 



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