CHARACTER OF TIGERS. 131 



every device his situation will admit, and often suffers himself 

 to be gored, or to be lifted from his pusillanimous attitude by 

 the buffalo's horn before he can be induced to act on the defen- 

 sive. When, however, he really does summon up courage to 

 oppose his antagonist, he displays wonderful vigor and activity, 

 although he is generally conquered." 



Perhaps the cowardice of the tiger in the above instance is 

 due to the consciousness of his inability to cope successfully 

 with his adversary, and may be a specimen of ^' discretion being 

 the better part of valor," but the following incident related of a 

 tiger kept at the British residency in Calcutta,* gives au amus- 

 ing example of iibsurd terror from a most insignificant cause : 

 *' What annoyed him far more than our poking him up with a 

 stick, or tantalizing him with shins of beef or legs of mutton, 

 was introducing a mouse into his cage. No fine lady ever ex- 

 hibited more terror at the sight of a spider than this magnificent 

 royal tiger beti-ayed on seeing n mouse. Our mischievous plan 

 was to tie the little animal by a string to the end of a long pole, 

 and thrust it close to the tiger's nose. The moment he saw it 

 he leaped to the opposite side j and, when the mouso was made 

 to run near him, he jammed himself into a corner, and stood 

 trembling and roaring in such an ecstasy of fear that we were 

 always obliged to desist in pity to the poor brute. Sometimes 

 we insisted on his passing over the spot where the unconscious 

 little mouse ran backward and foi-ward. For a longtime, how- 

 ever, we could not get him to move, till, at length, I believe, by 

 the help of a squib, we obliged him to start 5 but, instead of 

 pacing leisurely across his den, or making a detour to avoid the 

 object of his alarm, he generally took a kind of flying leap, so 

 high as nearly to bring his back in contact with the roof of his 

 cage." 



Tigei-s will not submit like lions to the intrusion of idle 

 straugei'^ into the cages, but any professional trainer can 

 ordinarily enter the cage and exhibit any properly broken 

 tigers without special risk. There are men ready to accept en- 

 gagements for performing with animals whom they may never 

 have seen before the day of exhibition ; fear being the eontrolling 

 influence with the beasts, it is only requisite that the man shall 

 show no timidity, and compel obedience by whatever seventy 

 may be necessary. The statement that belladonna or the leaves 

 of datura stramonium are put in the food of tigers to act on their 

 nervous system and create hallucination and terror, is, we believe, 

 unfounded ; no hallucination equals the simple reality of a heavy 

 iron bar. 



The tiger's cage is not altogether without its dangers. A 



