TIGERS. 117 



1 imagine that the tiger must have been 

 considerably alarmed by the dogs and peo- 

 ple, or the poor boy would not have escaped 

 so well. 



Captain Williamson's remarks (in his book 

 of wild sports page 52) on the Tiger's fore 

 paw are so very extraordinary, that I shall 

 here insert them,, not that I think any sensi- 

 ble person will be induced by reading them 

 without comment, to think that the talons of 

 a tiger are of no use to him in killing his 

 prey, but there are many who may have ec- 

 centric ideas as well as Captain W. and 

 others who credit any thing they read in 

 print, without using their own judgement, and 

 who would probably believe all that he has 

 said. fc The tiger's fore paw is the invariable 

 ct engine of destruction, most persons irna- 

 (c gine that if a tiger were deprived of his claws 

 tf and teeth he would be rendered harmless ; 

 fc but this is a gross error. The weight of the 

 rc limb is the real cause of the mischief; for the 

 ff talons are rarely extended when a tiger 

 13 



