118 TIGERS. 



" seizes. The operation is similar to that of 

 (( a hammer; the tiger raising his paw and 

 te bringing it down with such force, as not on- 

 " ly to stun a common size bullock or buffa- 

 <c lo, but often crushing the bones of the scull ! 

 ff I have seen many men and oxen that had 

 fc been killed by tigers, in most of which no 

 ff mark of a claw could be seen ; and where 

 ec scratches did appear, they were obviously 

 (c the effect of chance, from the paw sliding 

 f ' downwards and not from design ! 



My opinion is, that, whenever there are 

 scratches, it is owing to the claws meeting 

 with resistance from some bone ; and not pe- 

 netrating deep, sometimes it may be in conse- 

 quence of the hinder part only of the paw ha- 

 ving struck the animal, the talons having gone 

 beyond it, and when the limb was retracted 

 came in contact with the animals body, and 

 scratched it. 



During a residence of nine years at Chit- 

 trah I never saw a man or animal killed by a 



