MAMMALIA—TIGER. 183 
beautiful young tiger, brought in the Pitt, East Indiaman, 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 asakitten. 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 
‘eturn for this indulgence, it would, however, now and then steal their 
meit. Having one day stolen a piece of beef from the carpenter, he follows - 
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 was ptesented 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. 
“Tn 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 ene 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 with him, but the tiger generally appeared 
dissatisfied with this liberty. After a residence with the tiger of several 
nionths, 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 offensive 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 diminrtive crea- 
ture the tiger would suffer to play with him, with the greatest good-nature. 
{ 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 ou of its mouth, and 
seemed atherwise heedless of its attacks. 
“Strange dogs were several times put into the tiger’s den after his feeds 
