236 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATUMAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



A tiger frequently makes a noise similar to but slightly higher in tone 

 than that of a sambur. When I first heard this noise and was told by 

 local jungle people that it was a tiger, I did not believe it, but have since 

 had proof that a tiger does make such a noise. On one occasion I actvially 

 saw a tigress when making a noise which I at first thought to come from a 

 sambur. 



The two calls are so similar that even local jungle people cannot always 

 say whether it is a sambur or a tiger calling, and it is easy to understand 

 that even so experienced a shikari as Mr. Seton-Karr might be taken in. 



JAMES W. BEST, i.f.s. 

 Camp Bilaspuk, C. P. 

 39th Mmj 1911. 



No. II.— YOUNG TIGER ATTACKING HUMAN BEINGS. 



At 11-30 P.M. one night in the middle of February some villagers 

 . came and said a tiger had killed a man and woman in their house and was 

 still in the house and asked me to come and kill it. I thought the story 

 was rather qvieer and, although it was about o miles away, I decided to go. 



When I got there I found an old woman and a man about 40 years of age 

 had been badly mauled but were not dead. The door of the hut in which 

 the tiger was said to be was nearly closed and a big fire lit in front of it. 

 The hilt consisted of four stone walls of about 4 feet and a kutcha grass 

 roof. 



I walked round the three walls but could hear nothing and thought it 

 was a fairy tale that the tiger was inside. On asking what size the tiger 

 was " oh bahut bahut burra walla " I was informed. Approaching carefully 

 towards the door I was greeted by a growl from inside which sounded as if 

 it came from a large animal. I got a hole made in the roof, big enough to 

 let my lantern down and then made another low down in the wall. 



After looking for a long time I saw the tiger crouched very close to the 

 ground behind a basket. He appeared big and I let him have 8 bullets. 

 He never uttered a sound after the first shot, but his position was not 

 altered, so I did not know whether he was shamming and therefore let him 

 have the others. I was rather sick to find when he was brought out that he 

 was only a cub measuring six feet, but it was a lesson as it only shows what 

 a cub can do. The animal had followed the goats into the house and had 

 attacked the man and woman, but they scrambled through the door which 

 closed after them. They are in hospital here , and are in rather a bad state? 

 the man has a broken arm and a number of wounds and the old woman is 

 covered with wounds, and it will be touch and go whether she will pull 

 through. 



MuKTBSAK, -l^fb. Fehnumi 1911. H. E. CROSS. 



