256 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



with a thick scrubby jungle of thorny bushes, through which 

 ravines lead up to the open country where cattle graze, is a 

 certain find in the hot season. Sometimes considerable gather- 

 ings of tigers take place in such favourable places. I have 

 twice known five, and once seven, tigers to be driven out of 

 one cover at the same time ; and I think the season of love- 

 making has something to do with these meetings. More 

 usually it is a solitary male tiger, or a tiger and tigress, or 

 a tigress with her grown-up cubs, that are found in one 

 place. The tigress cannot breed more than once in three 

 years, I believe ; for the cubs almost invariably stay with her 

 till they are over two years old, and nearly full grown. The 

 greatest number of cubs I have ever found with a tigress was 

 three. These were small, however, and I never saw more than 

 two grown-up along with the female. 



A single tiger will kill an ox about every five days, if not 

 disturbed, eating, if very hungry, both hind quarters the first 

 night. He will not go further than he can help after this 

 meal, but will return again next night to the carcass, which 

 in the meantime he often stores away under a bank, or covers 

 with leaves, etc. This time he will finish all but the head ; 

 next night he will clean the bones ; and then for a couple of 

 days he will not take the trouble to hunt for a meal, though 

 he will strike down another quarry if it comes near him. 

 Should he have been fired at, however, when thus returning 

 to his kill, he will frequently abandon such measures of eco- 

 nomy, and kill a fresh bullock whenever he is hungry. A 

 tigress and grown cubs are also far more destructive, finishing 

 a bullock in a night, and like the daughter of the horse- 

 leech always crying for more. The young tigers seem to 

 rejoice in the exercise of their growing strength, springing 

 up against trees and scratching the bark as high as they 



