BREEDING OF TIGERS. 281 



and we killed them, still full of vigour, on the tenth day. The weather 

 was hot, the circle in which they were enclosed was only seventy yards in 

 diameter, and the heat of the fires kept up day and night all round was 

 considerable. Still they existed without a drop of water for ten days, 

 suffering from wounds half the time. A tiger can go much longer than 

 this without food without serious inconvenience. 



The hunting-ranges of tigers are extensive, and are traversed with great 

 expedition. A tiger that I was after on one occasion travelled from Has- 

 sanoor to Morlay, about twenty-three miles, within ten hours ; this was 

 his own pace, as he did not know we were following him. Tigers are not 

 often met with in the ^nngles when not the object of pursuit. During 

 some years of wandering in tigerish localities I have only come upon them 

 accidentally about half-a-dozen times. 



Tigresses do not breed at any fixed season. I have taken cubs in 

 March, May, and October. I have twice taken four cubs at a litter, but 

 this is an unusual number — two, occasionally three, being more common ; 

 and male and female cubs appear to be in about equal proportions. How 

 it is that amongst mature animals tigresses predominate so markedly, I am 

 unable to say. The tigress probably does not breed oftener than once in 

 two years. I have seen as many as three cubs about four months old with 

 a tigress, but never more than two well-grown ones. The natives say that 

 the tigress feeds her cubs when very young with gobbets of half-digested 

 flesh, which she disgorges on her return from hunting. This is probable, as 

 carrying meat to any distance would be an unnatural proceeding, and the 

 half-digested flesh is probably better adapted to the requirements of young 

 cubs. When even six weeks old the cubs move from place to place with 

 their mother, but are left at home whilst she hunts. They are led to the 

 feast, if near, when she kills. Even at this tender age they are very cun- 

 ning, and immediately take a line of their own if intruded upon during their 

 mother's absence. Two cubs, born near Morlay in November 1875, first 

 began to hunt for themselves in the following June, when seven months 

 old. They still, however, remained with the tigress. I returned from 

 Bengal at this time, and took much interest in noting their progress. They 

 had considerable difficulty at this age in killing even old cattle single- 

 handed, and they scratched them greatly in their attempts. Nor did they 

 attack loose cattle — only such as we picketed for them. On one occasion 

 there were evident marks of the mother having sat by whilst the one cub 

 that was then with her Idlled a bullock. I shot both these young tigers 

 npon their return to feed on animals they had killed : one, the female, on 

 July 29, when she measured 6 feet 3 inches, and weighed 118 lb. ; the other. 



