i 3 2 THE WILDERNESS AND JUNGLE 



there are no tigers, they are the most dangerous 

 beasts of prey in the island. Dr. Longstaff 

 tells me of a curious mistake made by a male 

 panther, which, though the female had just 

 been shot in its presence from a machan^ came 

 round her five minutes later, instead of making 

 off into the jungle, and was shot as well. 



People have made pets of both tigers and 

 leopards, in both cases as cubs, and Colonel 

 Williamson, who had experience of both, is 

 inclined to regard the tiger as of the two the 

 more reliable. He once made a great pet of 

 a young tiger in India, but, as it made a good 

 deal of noise, besides alarming some of the 

 neighbours, he was eventually obliged to find 

 another home for the animal and gave it to 

 the people's park in Madras. Then, being 

 transferred to another district, he saw no more 

 of it for quite three years, when he again had 

 an opportunity of seeing how it was getting on. 

 At the first sound of his voice, the tiger, now 

 considerably larger than when they had parted, 

 came to the front of its cage and rubbed itself 

 backwards and forwards against the bars, as 

 cats, large as well as small, always do when 

 pleased. 



He also, at another time, had a favourite 

 leopard cub which at first had to be fed with 

 a rag dipped in milk and water, which it 

 swallowed in course of worrying the rag. It 



