MAMMALIA— TIGER. 183 



beautiful young tiggr, brought in the Pitt, Eastlndiaman, from China, in the 

 year 1790, was so far domesticated as to admit of every kind of familiarity 

 from the people on board the ship. It seemed to be quite harmless, and. 

 was as playful as a kitten. It frequently slept with the sailors in their 

 hammocks ; and would suffer two or three of them to repose their heads on 

 its back as upon a pillow, while it lay stretched out upon the deck. In 

 return for this indulgence, it would, however, now and then steal their 

 meat. Having one day stolen a piece of beef from the carpenter, he follow- 

 ed the animal, took the meat out of its mouth, and beat it severely for the 

 theft : which punishment it suffered with all the patience of a dog. It 

 would frequently run out on the bowsprit ; climb about the ship like a cat ; 

 and perform many other tricks, with an agility that was truly astonishing. 

 There was a dog on board, with which it would frequently play in the most 

 diverting manner imaginable. This animal was taken on board the ship 

 when it was only a month or six weeks old, and arrived in England before 

 it had quite completed its first year. On its arrival it Avas presented to the 

 king, and was afterwards deposited in the Tower of London. It even there 

 continued to be perfectly good-natured, and was, in no instance, known to be 

 guilty of any savage or mischievous tricks. 



" In the year 1801, one day after this tiger had been fed, his keeper put 

 into the den to him, a small, rough, black terrier puppy, a female. The 

 beast suffered it to remain uninjured, and soon afterwards became so much 

 attached to it, as to be restless and unhappy whenever the animal was 

 taken away to be fed. On its return, the tiger invariably expressed the 

 greatest symptoms of delight, always welcoming its arrival by gently lick- 

 ing over every part of its body. In one or two instances the terrier was 

 left in the den, by mistake, during the time the tiger had his food. The 

 dog sometimes ventured to eat Avith him, but the tiger generally appeared 

 dissatisfied with this liberty. After a residence with the tiger of several 

 months, the terrier was removed to make way for a little female Dutch 

 mastiff. It was, however, thought advisable, before the terrier was taken 

 away, to shut up the mastiff for three or four days among the straw of the 

 tiger's bed, to take off, if possible, any smell that might be oflfensive to the 

 animal. The exchange was made soon after the animals had been fed ; the 

 tiger seemed perfectly satisfied with his new companion, and immediately 

 began to lick it, as he had before done the terrier. The dog seemed at first 

 in considerable alarm with so formidable an inmate, but in the course of the 

 day he became perfectly reconciled to his situation. This diminutive crea- 

 ture the tiger would suffer to play with him, with the greatest good-nature. 

 I have myself, says Mr Bingley, seen it bark at him, and bite him by the 

 foot and mouth, without his expressing the least displeasure. When the 

 dog, in its frolic, seized his foot, he merely lifted it up out of its mouth, and 

 seemed otherwise heedless of its attacks. 



" Strange dogs were several times put into the tiger's den after his feed- 



