TIGER I2? 



years ; but this does not hold good in the case of those in captivity, which some- 

 times breed twice a year. 



Tigers rest during the day and begin their search for prey in the evening, 

 often extending their wanderings for miles, and using by preference well-trodden 

 paths or sandy river-beds. The break of day does not always induce them to retire, 

 and sometimes they continue their prowl till eight or nine o'clock in the morning, 

 the course of their wanderings being indicated by the shrieks of monkeys and pea- 

 fowl, the warning calls of crows and smaller birds, and the roaring of deer. These 

 particular danger-signals do not, however, always denote the approach of a tiger, as 

 they are uttered at the approach of a leopard or smaller cat, or bear, dog, or even man. 



After the night's wanderings tigers usually repair, especially during the hot 

 season, to some shady spot near water beneath a high bush or tree, or to a lair 

 among high grass, or a low thicket of reeds, tamarisks, or other plants growing 

 along a river-bed. In some districts they will lie down on a shelving shore, or in 

 rocky countries in a cave, although they prefer the depths of a forest. With more 

 persistency than other wild animals tigers keep to certain localities, though there 

 may be others just as suitable close by. Some spot in the high grass on the bank 

 of a river, some particular ravine, is chosen again and again, year after year, and 

 when the occupant of such a spot is killed it is soon succeeded by another. In the 

 hot season from March to June, when vegetation is dried up and water scarce 

 everywhere, the hunting grounds of tigers are confined to small limits. Tigers are 

 much more silent animals than lions. In districts inhabited by lions there is 

 hardly an evening on which the air does not ring with their roars, but even in 

 localities where tigers abound they are seldom heard. The roar resembles that of 

 the lion, consisting of a long terrific growl, repeated several times, growing 

 gradually louder and quicker, and ending with the last notes repeated three or four 

 times. A startled tiger utters a peculiar "woof," and one preparing to charge 

 emits the well-known hiss. When hit by a bullet, the male generally roars, but 

 the tigress remains silent, and more than once tigresses when mortally wounded 

 have died without uttering a sound. The tiger, like the lion, does not spend any 

 part of its time in trees, seldom even ascending them, and being incapable of 

 climbing vertical stems, whether thick or thin. It has been stated that tigers have 

 pulled men down from trees 8 or 12 feet high, but in these cases they must have 

 been assisted by some peculiarity in the tree, such as a much inclined stem of a 

 forking branch. Generally tigers take little notice of a man in a tree who keeps 

 quiet, even if he be only a few feet above the ground ; and it is a mistake to 

 suppose that they are good jumpers, as their hind legs seldom leave the ground, 

 unless when clearing an obstacle. They can, however, spring to a moderate height, 

 and they share with other cats the habit of scratching tree-stems to smooth the tips 

 and edges of their claws when these have grown uneven. They generally choose 

 some particular tree for this purpose on which the marks of their claws are seen 

 up to the height of 10 or 12 feet. 



Moat tigers prey upon deer, but almost all of them kill cattle now and then. 

 They also prey upon wild boars, antelope, and porcupines, the spines of the latter 

 being often found in tiger-skins. Peacocks and monkeys are more frequently 

 caught by the leopard, but the tiger occasionally pursues and eats bears. 



