BENGAL TIGER, 101 



pine. Their consummate cunning and address in ap- 

 proaching their prey amply compensates for their de- 

 ficiency of speed, or, at least, of enduring long continued 

 running : did they, indeed, possess the fleetness of the 

 hare or of the horse, no created being could escape 

 them ; but the endowments of Providence are always 

 justly balanced, and in proportion as some are developed, 

 others are withheld. It has been well observed, with 

 reference to this subject, that if the feline race possessed 

 the same social instinct as is seen in the dog, or even 

 the wolf, of herding together and hunting in unison, 

 what could resist such overwhelming destruction ? The 

 earth would become almost a desert, and the human 

 race would be driven from some of its most fruitful 

 portions. Like robbers and murderers of the human 

 race, the tigers choose the night for their deeds of blood- 

 shed : at the close of day they quit the caverns or dark 

 recesses of the forest, and, with stealthy pace, prowl the 

 earth, and spring upon their prey with resistless force. 

 The night is no night to them, since their eyes are well 

 known to be brilliant in darkness ; while their acute 

 sense of hearing and of smell, joined to the noiseless 

 tread of their feet, gives them every advantage which 

 their cruel instincts require. 



The geographic distribution of the feline race is 

 marked by some singular facts connected with that of 

 other quadrupeds, w^hich no writer, we believe, has yet 

 touched upon. There appears to be no question that 

 the continent of Africa is that, above all others, which 

 contains the largest number of quadrupeds, both as re- 

 gards bulk and numerical amount ; Asia stands next 

 in the scale ; America is decidedly inferior to both, but 

 exceeds every other region in the surprising number and 

 variety of its birds ; while the European range possesses 

 fewer native quadrupeds than either of the preceding 

 divisions. Now, as the feline race are destined to prey, 

 exclusively, upon living animals, we find that they have 

 been distributed by Providence in an exact ratio to the 

 preceding scale. The lion, the most bold and powerful 

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