DIFFERENCES IN TIGERS. 79 



with an immense head, shoulders, and forearms, and yet he 

 measured only nine and a-half feet, or something less, his 

 tail being exceedingly short, unusually thick at the base, 

 and tapering away almost to a point. An ordinary plains 

 tiger, with such a head and fore-quarters, would have measured" 

 ten feet, or close upon it. 



While differing sometimes in minor points, such as tint, 

 the pattern and length of the dark stripes, the rings on the 

 tail, and certain spots or dabs of colour on the face, nine 

 out of ten very closely resemble each other in all three points, 

 age and sex taken into account. So, too, as to habits and 

 character ; there are no certain rules to be laid down, whether 

 the animals infest the hills of Assam, the grass p Jains of 

 Bengal, or the " Soonderbuns." A hill tiger may prove a 

 confirmed man-eater, a plains tiger a cattle-killer, and the 

 Soonderbun cousin a lover of pork and venison only. Old 

 writers do not attempt any identification of varieties of the 

 species, so far as I am aware, and very few modern ones have 

 ventured to do so. Major Leveson, in his book, " Sport in 

 Many Lands," while expressing his own opinion as to there 

 being but one variety, writes that natives in many parts of 

 India over which he has hunted, recognise three kinds of 

 tigers : the " loda-bagh," the " oontia-bagh," and the " admee- 

 khane- wallah." The first of these three varieties is described 

 as a "game-killer," living in the fastnesses of hills and 

 forests, subsisting on deer and other animals, and rarely 

 showing himself near the habitations of man. The second, 

 or " cattle-killer," is portrayed as a much larger and heavier 

 tiger than the first, carrying a coat less brilliantly yellow in its 

 ground colour, and marked with fainter stripes. The last, 

 or " man-eater," is described as not being numerous, but 

 desperately skulking and cunning. It is possible that in 

 some parts of India varieties may be distinguished by natives ; 

 but, without being so indiscreet as to deny their existence, I 

 must state that in Bengal they are unknown, or at least un- 

 recognised. We have ail three kinds, undoubtedly, in abun- 

 dance the game-hunter, the cattle-thief, and the man-eater ; 



