The Tiger 199 



its enemy, and there is one abroad in the gloaming from 

 which all fly. Listen ! Above the sambur's hoarse bark, 

 the bison's cavernous bellow, and hyaena's unearthly cry, a 

 deep, flat, hollow voice, thrilling with power, floats through 

 the forest. It is a tiger rounding up deer. If he were in 

 ambush, not the slightest sound would betray his presence. 

 Now his roar, sent from different directions, crowds the 

 game together, and puts it at his mercy. 



When and in what way will our tiger come ? Some of 

 these beasts never return to a " kill," they lap the blood, 

 or eat once, and abandon their quarry altogether. Others 

 consume it wholly in one or several meals, and even after 

 putrefaction has set in. This animal for whom we wait 

 may approach boldly while it is yet light, or wait till dark- 

 ness falls, and appear at any hour of the night. At its 

 coming it might put in practice every precaution that 

 could be made use of in stealing upon living prey, or walk 

 openly, towards the carcass with long, swinging, soft but 

 heavy strides. 



Incidents of any special kind, however, reveal the tiger's 

 nature only in part. What sort of a being is this in whole ; 

 how much mind does he possess ; what are the traits com- 

 mon to his species ; and what their individual peculiarities? 

 Do tigers roar like lions and jaguars, and is it probable 

 that their neighborhood would be announced in this man- 

 ner ? Are they in the habit of going about by day ; and if 

 not, on what kind of nights is the beast most active and 

 aggressive ? How does a tiger take his prey, especially 

 man ? How far can one spring; in what way does he kill; 

 what is his mode of devouring creatures ? Can tigers 



