v THE TIGER 93 



the clawing; the fatal wound was the bite, which through the 

 back and chest penetrated to the lungs. 



It is surprising that so few casualties occur when we consider 

 the risks that are run by unprotected natives wandering at all 

 seasons through the jungles, or occupied in their daily pursuits, 

 exposed to the attacks of wild animals. The truth is that the 

 tiger seldom attacks to actually kill, unless it is driven, or wounded 

 in a hunt. It will frequently charge with a short roar if suddenly 

 disturbed, but it does not intend to charge home, and a shout from 

 a native will be sufficient to turn it aside : it will then dash forward 

 and disappear, probably as glad to lose sight of the man as he is 

 at his escape from danger. Of course there are many exceptions 

 when naturally savage tigers, without being man-eaters, attack and 

 destroy unoffending natives without the slightest provocation ; 

 upon such occasions they leave the body uneaten, neither do they 

 return to it again. 



Although the tiger belongs to the genus Felis, it differs from the 

 cat in its peculiar fondness for water. In the hot season the 

 animal is easily discovered, as it invariably haunts the banks of 

 rivers, when all the brooks are dry and the tanks have disappeared 

 through evaporation. The tiger loves to wallow in shallow water, 

 and to roll upon the dry sand after a muddy bath ; it will swim 

 large rivers, and in the Brahmaputra, where reedy and grassy islands 

 interrupt the channel in a bed of several miles width, the tigers 

 travel over considerable distances during the night, swimming from 

 island to island, and returning to the mainland if no prey is to be 

 found during the night's ramble. 



The tiger is by no means fond of extreme heat ; it is found in 

 northern China, Manchuria, and the Corea, where the winters are 

 severe. In those climates during winter the skin is very beautiful, 

 consisting of thick fur instead of hair, and the tail is comparatively 

 bushy. Well-preserved skins of that variety are worth 20 apiece 

 and are prized as rarities. In the hot season of India the tiger is 

 by no means happy : it is a thirsty animal, and being nocturnal, it 

 quickly becomes fatigued by the sun's heat, and the burning surface 

 of the soil if obliged to retreat before a line of beaters. The pads 

 of the feet are scorched by treading upon heated sandy or stony 

 ground, and the animal is easily managed in a beat by those who 

 are thoroughly experienced in its habits, although during the winter 

 season, when water is abundant in all the numerous nullahs and 

 pools, there is no animal more difficult to discover than the tiger. 

 It may be easily imagined that the dense green foliage of Indian 

 jungles renders all objects difficult to perceive distinctly, and the 



