46 VALUE OF TIGEBS 



tiger that I saw here destroyed by poison had killed a 

 pig on June 28, and partly eaten it. The remains were 

 poisoned in the manner previously described, and left 

 till the next morning, when, on approaching, the brute 

 was seen about a hundred yards from its prey in a 

 helpless, cramped condition, and it very soon died. It 

 proved to be a fine young male, and measured as fol- 

 lows : Tip of nose to base of tail, 66 inches ; tail, 34 

 inches ; round head, 29 inches ; round neck, 23 inches ; 

 round fore-arm, 28 inches ; length of fore-leg, 26 inches ; 

 round fore-foot, 13^ inches ; length of hind leg, 29^ 

 inches ; round hind foot, 10 inches. Eight coolies were 

 required to carry the carcass to the house, where it was 

 triced up to a beam and skinned. This operation, to- 

 gether with cutting the flesh off the bones, took a great 

 part of the night ; the latter was undertaken as I wished 

 to preserve the skeleton. 



The meat, &c., was all carried off and devoured, the 

 bones being put to macerate ; and now a new difli- 

 culty presented itself to me. This was how to prevent 

 their being stolen, as they are worth at least thirty taels, 

 and are used partly in medicine. Some are supposed to 

 be most effective in strengthening the muscles on which 

 they are rubbed, a rounded bone of the hind leg being 

 much prized for this purpose. I therefore kept them in 

 a tub of water in the house until my nostrils rebelled. 



