-MAMMALIA. 



117 



over again been only too faithfully illustrated by 

 the disastrous records of its ravages, which have ever 

 and anon appeared on the page of history. Cruel, 

 insidious, bloodthirsty, and malevolent such is the 

 character it bears; but there are some who would 

 fain modify the force of this charge, and defend the 

 character, if not protect the life, of this fearful scourge 

 of man and beast. The tiger is certainly a very 

 cowardly animal, although the naturalist Pennant 

 has been sadly taken to task for having recorded and 

 believed the fact, that one of these beasts had been 

 frightened by the mere unfolding of an umbrella. 

 Whilst a party of ladies and gentlemen were seated 

 uiider the shade of some trees on the banks of a river 

 in Bengal, they observed a tiger preparing to spring ; 

 " one of the ladies, with amazing presence of mind, 

 laid hold of an umbrella, and furled it full in the 

 animal's face, which instantly retired, and gave the 

 company an opportunity of removing from so terrible 

 a neighbour." Such is Pennant's account, and although 

 rather badly expressed, there can be no just reason for 

 doubting its truthfulness. Confirmatory of this story, 

 we have recently, through the columns of the Times, 

 been made acquainted with the circumstance and 

 results of a frightful attack, where a light umbrella 

 proved, for the time at least, a most valuable instru- 

 ment of defence. An English person, whose letter 

 dates from Penang, February 10, 1859, writes: "My 

 escape from the tiger was truly miraculous, but that of 

 Padre Cuellon was still more so, as the following 

 details of the attack upon that worthy priest will 

 clearly prove. The padre was on his way to church, 

 and was immersed in the study of his sermon, when a 

 tiger, to his utter surprise, suddenly rushed out of the 

 jungle or tall grass ; but as the beast had not measured 

 its distance to a nicety, the padre, walking very quickly, 

 was more frightened than hurt. The tiger, however, 

 brushed so close to him, that his trowsers were torn, 

 the snap of the beast being almost within a hair's- 

 breadth of his leg. The brute, not contented with a 

 single spring, made another charge upon the poor 

 padre, and as he had nothing wherewith to defend 

 himself but his large paper umbrella, he suddenly 

 opened it out in the animal's face, which had the effect 

 of cowing .it for a time. The tiger, however, evi- 

 dently gamer or more pertinacious in his attacks than 

 is wont with his tribe, charged the padre at least a 

 dozen times, which occupied nearly twenty minutes. 

 In the meantime the padre gradually edged towards a 

 tree in an open space of ground, and as there was a 

 large white ant's nest between him and the tiger, round 

 which the latter had to make, this enabled the padre 

 to climb the tree and get out of his way. The tiger, 

 on getting round the nest, was at first puzzled at not 

 seeing his intended victim ; but in a few minutes he 

 had his nose to the ground, and so scented the where- 

 abouts of the padre. The tiger quietly sat down under 

 the tree, and gave a wistful look upwards, but it was 

 of no avail. The natives at length hearing the cries of 

 the worthy padre, hastened to the spot, and rendered 

 the assistance required. The tiger fled the instant it 

 heard their shouts. The poor priest burst into tears, 

 and sang the ' Te Deum,' in token of gratitude for his 



delivery. Padre Cuellon, however, did not rally long; 

 the fright had too serious an effect upon his system, and 

 in about ten days he sank to rise no more." We might 

 furnish many other proofs of the cowardly conduct of 

 the tiger. Captain Thomas Williamson no mean 

 authority, and no mere closet naturalist deliberately 

 gives it as his opinion, that the tiger is more of a coward 

 than any other beast of prey ; "its treacherous nature 

 induces it, almost without exception, to conceal itself 

 until its prey may arrive within reach of its spring be 

 its victim either bulky or diminutive. Size seems to 

 occasion no deviation in the tiger's system of attack, 

 which is founded on the art of surprising. We find, 

 accordingly, that such as happen to keep the opposite 

 side of a road by which they are somewhat beyond the 

 first spring, often escape injury ; the tiger being unwill- 

 ing to be seen .before he is felt. Hence it is rarely that 

 a tiger pursues ; but, if the situation permit, his cunning 

 will not fail to effect his purpose ; he will steal along 

 the road's side among the bushes parallel with the 

 traveller's course, until one of the many chances which 

 present themselves, of finding him within reach, 

 induces to the attack. Often where the country is 

 rather too open to allow his proceeding in this manner, 

 the tiger will take a sweep among underwood or 

 through ravines, in order to meet the traveller again, 

 at a spot whence he may take his spring. Tigers are 

 extremely partial to such sites as command a road, 

 selecting one rather less frequented, in preference to 

 one that is much in use. In the former they are cer- 

 tain of finding as much as will answer their daily 

 wants." On one occasion, observes the same author, 

 " I was travelling past in my palankeen, through 

 the Ramghur district, which is mountainous and little 

 cultivated, being for the most part in a state of nature 

 and everywhere abounding in jungles, when a bangy- 

 wollah, who conveyed two baskets of linen and 

 refreshments, and who preceded the palankeen about 

 an hundred and fifty yards, set down his load and 

 seated himself on the side of the road to rest awhile. 

 About two yards behind him was a small bush, not much 

 larger than a good-sized currant tree, round .which a 

 small quantity of jungle grass was growing to the 

 height of about three feet. There was not another 

 twig to be seen for at least half a mile on that side of 

 the road. No sooner had the poor fellow seated him- 

 self, than a tiger sprang from behind, or rather from 

 within the bush, and, after giving the fatal blow with 

 his paw, seized the man by the shoulder, and dragged 

 him off with the utmost ease at a round pace, into a 

 thick cover which had as formerly skirted the road, but 

 which had by order of government been cut away to 

 the distance of about a hundred yards, for the safety of 

 travellers." Some such deceitful plan is, in point of 

 fact, the ordinary method adopted by the tiger for 

 overcoming its prey. The melancholy death of Sir 

 Hector Munro's son took place in a similar manner. 

 Several writers have recorded the incident, which, 

 according to Mr. Wood, took place under the following 

 circumstances : " This unfortunate gentleman, accom- 

 panied by three of his friends, went on shore, December 

 22, 1792, on Sawgar Island, to shoot deer. They 

 continued their sport till the afternoon, when they 



