THE TIGER. 



153 



Tiger comes prowling along, and smelling the man, rears up on its hind legs, trying to 

 claw down the bamboo bars. The hunter in the meanwhile takes his spear, and mor- 

 tally wounds the brindled foe, by striking the spear-point between the bars of the 

 edifice. 



A still more ingenious mode of Tiger killing is that which is employed by the natives 

 of Oude. 



They gather a number of the broad leaves of \heprduss tree, which much resembles 

 the sycamore, and having well besmeared them with a kind of bird lime, they strew 

 them in the animal's way, taking care to lay them with the prepared side uppermost. 

 Let a Tiger but put his paw on one of these innocent looking leaves, and his fate is 

 settled. Finding the leaf stick to his paw, he shakes it, in order to rid himself of the 

 nuisance, and finding that plan unsuccessful, he endeavors to attain his object by rub- 

 bing it against his face, thereby smearing the ropy birdlime over his nose and eyes, and 



TIGER AND DEER. 



gluing the eyelids together. By this time he has probably trodden upon several more 

 of the treacherous leaves, and is bewildered with the novel inconvenience ; then he 

 rolls on the ground, and rubs his head and face on the earth, in his efforts to get free. 

 By so doing, he only adds fresh birdlime to his head, body, and limbs, agglutinates his 

 sleek fur together in unsightly tufts, and finishes by hoodwinking himself so thoroughly 

 with leaves and birdlime, that he lies floundering on the ground, tearing up the earth 

 with his claws, uttering howls of rage and dismay, and exhausted by the impotent 

 struggles in which he has been so long engaged. These cries are a signal to the au- 

 thors of his misery who run to the spot, armed with guns, bows, and spears, and find 

 no difficulty in despatching their blind and wearied foe. 



Another mode of destroying the Tiger is by means of a strongly constructed trap, 

 made on the same principle as the ordinary mousetraps, which take their victim by 



