1770 The Zoologist— August, 1869. 



escape when we entered with the torch-light : the hole he broke 

 through at was just behind where he was crouching, and nothing but 

 excessive hunger could have caused the beast thus to defy us all. 

 Managing to screen myself, and keeping perfectly still and quiet, and 

 the tiger thinking it all safe, I had the satisfaction of seeing him raise 

 his head, then stand up and make towards the rump of the bullock : 

 his object was evidently to feed, but in this he was singularly dis- 

 appointed, by a daring charge made at him by a fellow bullock tied 

 not three paces off from the dead one. The tiger growled and retreated 

 as suddenly as the charge had been made : I became interested to see 

 what next : the tiger again got up, and was again repulsed by the 

 heroic little bullock. My torch was in full blaze, and in a few seconds 

 more 1 knew it would burn out, so 1 determined to have at the tiger 

 the next time he showed himself: he was not long in giving me the 

 opportunity ; 1 aimed for his head just behind the ear — he was hit in 

 the exact spot, the ball passing out by the other ear ; he dropped, 

 and as suddenly started up, seized the dead bullock by the ribs, and 

 shook it as if it were merely a rat. I fired my second at his shoidder, 

 just behind the knuckle-bone; it was for his heart I designed the 

 bullet this time, and nnerringly it performed its mission : the tiger let 

 go his hold on the dead bullock, fell on his back, got up and dashed 

 right into the middle of a lot of buffaloes that were tied at one end of 

 the long shed. The buffaloes started up, broke loose and madly 

 rushed about the apartment ; and picture my situation for a moment! 

 The wounded tiger was right in front of me ; mad buffaloes all round 

 me ; the torch had gone out, and I had nothing for consolation but a 

 pair of empty rifle-barrels ! I lay perfectly still, for therein I deemed 

 my safety : at last I heard the death-ratlle in the tiger's throat; I felt 

 sure now that he was powerless, and forthwith called out to the herds- 

 men to come and let the cattle out : this was done, and the dead tiger 

 picked up — he proved to be a male of enormous size. 



On skinning my beast, I found that the whole of his fore arms were 

 pricked with porcupine quills, which he could only have got when 

 striking at that animal : some of the quills I found buried in the tarsal 

 bone, others had got fixed in the sinews and fleshy parts of the fore 

 arm ; but the tiger had bitten off all the ends nearest the skin. He 

 was evidently in great distress from these, as his emaciated appear- 

 ance and the festered wounds the quills had caused made evident. 



Both tigers and leopards will kill and eat porcupines, especially 

 the leopards, who are very fond of them; and I have as a rule, and 



