THE TIGER'S MEAL. 279 



natives of -whom we read as coming under tigers' hands has it ever, as far 

 as I know, been recorded that limbs were broken or death caused by a 

 stroke of the paw only. I have known several cattle escape from tigers, 

 severely lacerated, where, had a heavy blow accompanied the strokes of the 

 paws, bones must have been broken. 



There appears to be no foundation for the venerable belief in tigers 

 sucking the blood of their victims. The jugular vein is never, as far as I 

 have observed, injured. It is by fracturing the vertebrae, not by blood- 

 letting, that the tiger's prey is deprived of life. I have known several 

 cases of cattle getting away from tigers after having been seized by them, 

 but escaping the fatal wrench, from the interference of the cow-herds. AU 

 but one died of lock-jaw, or from inflammation of the wounds in the throat, 

 but there was no bleeding. The tiger frequently retains its hold on its 

 victim's throat for some time, but probably only till assured that life is 

 extinct. The physical difficulty of producing a vacuum sufficient to cause 

 a flow of blood, whilst the tiger's mouth is opened so widely as to grasp a 

 bullock's throat, would be considerable. A little after sunset, or sooner if 

 the jungles are quiet, the tiger returns and drags the carcass to some retired 

 spot where he commences his meal. In eating the tiger invariably com- 

 mences at the hind-quarters. The exact spot where the first mouthful will 

 be taken can be told with certainty. The flesh of one or both thighs, and 

 sometimes the flanks, or about 70 lb. of meat, is eaten the first night. 

 Tigers seldom lie up far from their " Mil" if the cover be thick and quiet ; 

 they eat whenever incKned either by day or night till the carcass is finished ; 

 this is usually on the third day, but it, of course, depends upon the size 

 of the animal killed. After or during a meal the tiger drinks largely, 

 often walking belly-deep into the water. One morning before it was quite 

 light three of my trackers were going to see about some elephants near 

 Morlay, when they heard a tiger on the opposite bank coming towards the 

 river they were going to cross. They got up a tree and saw the tiger 

 march into the water and immerse his head to the eyes, blowing and splut- 

 tering as if to wash his jaws. Having lapped as much water as he required, 

 he crossed to underneath the tree up which the men had climbed, and sat 

 down at the foot. They had only cudgels and their cumUies (black 

 blankets) with them. These they threw down altogether upon the un- 

 suspecting tiger, which, to their amusement, dashed off into the jungle with 

 a " wough," in a great state of fright. This was the " Don," a tiger to be 

 mentioned further on, and on which my men were always playing practical 

 jokes. 



After a pretty lengthy experience of tigers, and finding that aU I had 



