CHAPTER III 



THE CARNIVORE 

 THE TIGER 



THE Burmese assert that there are two varieties of tiger: 

 those of the plains that live on the village cattle being much 

 the larger, and with a longer tail ; those that roam over the 

 hills and live principally on such game as they can outwit, 

 being much smaller and with shorter tails ; but, if anything, 

 more fierce than the former. Tigers are plentiful all over the 

 country, but very difficult to find ; and where cattle and game 

 abound they do little or no harm to human life. But in the 

 remoter districts, especially in the Yonzaleen, man-eaters are 

 very plentiful. Captain Watson of the Artillery, Assistant 

 Commissioner of Yonzaleen, assured me he seldom crossed 

 over the Hills to get to Kyoukee in the plains without losing 

 one or more men. In Assam they are more plentiful than in 

 Burma and more get-at-able. Generally each tiger has his 

 beat, and will tolerate no other male on his preserves. If an 

 intruder puts in an appearance a battle-royal takes place, and 

 if one is killed, he is often eaten by the survivor. The length 

 of tigers has been greatly exaggerated. I have never seen 

 one more than 10 feet 2 inches as he lay dead, and the largest 

 I ever heard of from a reliable authority was 10 feet 4 inches. 



I here give an instance. A tiger we shot measured as he 

 lay dead 10 feet I inch ; when the skin was taken off it was 12 

 feet 6 inches ; when pegged out and dried it became 1 3 feet 

 4 inches these measurements having been noted at the time in 

 my note-book. He was an unusually big brute, with a very 

 loose skin on him. 



The size of a tiger of course depends a great deal on the 



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