382 CARNIVORES. 



thickets on the east bank of the Sea of Aral and the Sir Darya, as well as in 

 the Kirghiz steppes, its chief food is derived from the wild swine which inhabit 

 those thickets, and also from the herds of wild asses and saiga antelope frequenting 

 the more open country. In these districts the tiger is much dreaded by the 

 nomadic inhabitants ; and it is said to attain dimensions considerably greater than 

 those which it reaches in warmer regions. 



Much misapprehension has prevailed as to the mode in which tigers kill their 

 prey ; the ordinary notion that they spring upon their victims from a distance, and 

 after killing them either by a blow from the paw. or by tearing at the throat 

 with their claws, and afterwards sucking the blood, being now proved to be 

 incorrect. Mr. Sanderson, who has paid particular attention to these points, and 

 whose explanation, although at variance with that of some other experienced 

 sportsmen, is now pretty generally accepted, writes as follows on the subject : 

 " I have never witnessed a tiger actually seize its prey, but it has been described to 

 me by men who have seen the occurrence scores of times within a few yards' 

 distance while tending cattle. The general method is for the tiger to slink up 

 under cover of bushes or long grass, ahead of the cattle in the direction they are 

 feeding, and to make a rush at the first cow or bullock that comes within five or 

 six yards. The tiger does not spring upon his prey in the manner usually 

 represented. Clutching the bullock's fore-quarters with his paws, one being 

 generally over the shoulder, he seizes the throat in his jaws from underneath, and 

 turns it upwards and over, sometimes springing to the far side in doing so, to throw 

 the bullock over, and give the wrench which dislocates its neck. This is frequently 

 done so quickly that the tiger, if timid, is in retreat again almost before the herds- 

 man can turn round. Bold animals often kill several head, unsophisticated cattle 

 occasionally standing and staring at the tiger in stupid astonishment; but 

 herds that are accustomed to these raids only enter the jungle with extreme 

 unwillingness." Occasionally the tiger seizes its prey by the nape of the neck; 

 the blow of his paw will, however, stun even a large animal ; and it is quite 

 possible that cattle may be killed in this manner. Tigers will on rare occasions 

 kill buffalo and gaur, and similar prey, by hamstringing them, probably by a 

 blow with the claws. Such hamstrung animals are occasionally met with, but 

 the exact method in which it is accomplished remains unknown. The notion that 

 the tiger sucks the blood of his victim is a myth. The late afternoon is the time 

 at which cattle are usually seized by tigers when grazing in the jungles, although 

 they may be struck down at any time of the day. If killed during the daytime 

 the carcase of the victim is usually left where it lies till evening. At nightfall, or 

 perhaps earlier, the tiger returns to the " kill," and either commences to devour 

 it at once, if the spot is sufficiently secluded, or proceeds to remove it to one 

 more convenient. The feast is commenced on the hind-quarters as a general 

 rule ; and, after he has satisfied his appetite, the tiger may either retire to a 

 convenient resting-place in the neighbourhood, from which it can rush out to 

 drive away jackals and other intruders from the " kill," or may completely conceal 

 it under bushes and leaves, and seek a more distant lair in the neighbourhood of 

 water. When it has recovered from the effects of its gorge, the tiger returns for 

 a second meal ; and it appears that in about three days the carcase is reduced to 



