354 



BACKBONED ANIMALS. 



pure white. They are extremely ferocious, attacking the 

 largest animals. In 1881 eight hundred and eighty-nine 

 persons were killed by them alone in southern India, while 

 the leopards killed two hundred and thirty-nine. Wallace 

 records that, in one of the localities he was in (Singapore), 

 the tigers, on an average, killed one native a day through- 

 out the year. The young, generally two at a birth, are 



F IG ' 375- The tiger, showing slim body, muscular thighs, strong front-legs 

 and paws, and short face with large teeth, all with sharp edges, especially 

 one (the carnassial) near the back in both jaws. 



carried about in the mouth, after the manner of the do- 

 mestic cat. The ounce is an allied cat. The lion (Felis 

 leo] is the royal member of the cat family, and justly so 

 from its magnificent bearing. It is found in Africa and 

 Asia, the two probably being merely varieties. The Afri- 

 can lion is much more dreaded and displays greater 

 cunning than its ally. The largest of these attain a 

 length of nine feet, exclusive of the tail. The neck of 

 the male is protected by a thick mane, giving them a 



