MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 335 



claw-marks were mere scratches, and how this great animal could ohmb a 

 perpendicular tree is a perfect marvel. Everyone has seen a house-cat run up 

 a post or tree, and this huge tigress did this with just as much ease. From 

 this experience we might suppose that tigers drop on their prey from bran- 

 ches, and also reconnoitre their game from high trees. To show what a 

 difficult tree this was to climb two young active cooUes were offered a rupee 

 each, if they would clunb the tree, and they failed to do so." 



In a letter to the 8outh of India Observer, Lieutenant-Colonel Christie confirm- 

 ed the story, and wrote that he shot the tiger in the way described. He added 

 that the tree was perpendicular, about a foot in diameter, with no branches 

 for about 25 feet. He wrote that " the tree in question will doubtless retain 

 the double set of claw-marks for years to come, so any curious or dubious 

 gentleman may go and look at it near Peermund. The length of the tigress 

 was about 9 feet 6 inches." 



The other sportsman present was Mr. J. W. Hadow of Southwich House, 

 Ootacamund. 



Charlton Kings, England, 



June 1920. R. G. BURTON, Brig.-Genl. 



No. II.— MAN-EATING TIGERS ON SAUGUR ISLAND IN 

 THE 18th century. 



It is not often that Europeans have fallen victims to man-eating tigers but 

 I find recorded in the Annual Register two instances of such occurrences on 

 Saugur Island. The following extract of a letter from a gentleman to his friend 

 at Calcutta is printed in the Register for 1793 and dated the 23rd December 

 1792 on board the ship " Ardasier Shaw," oflE Saugur Island : — 



" To describe the awful and lamentable accidents I have been an eyewitness 

 of is impossible. Yesterday morning INIr. Downey, of the Company's troops, 

 Lieut. Pyefinch, Mr. Monro (son of Sir Hector), and myself went on shore on 

 Saugur Island to shoot deer. We saw innumerable tracks of tigers and deer 

 but still we were induced to pursue our sport, and did the whole day. About 

 half past three we sat down on the edge of a jungle to eat some cold meat sent 

 us from the ship, and had just commenced our meal when Mr. Pyefinch and a 

 black servant told us there was a fine deer within six yards of us. Mr. Downey 

 and myself immediately jumped up to take our guns ; mine was the nearest, 

 and I had just laid hold of it when I heard a roar like thunder, and saw an 

 immense royal tiger spring on the unfortunate Monro, who was sitting down. 

 In a moment his head was in the beast's mouth, and he rushed into the jungle 

 with him with as much ease as I could lift a kitten, tearing him through the 

 thickest hedges and trees, everything yielding to his monstrous force. The 

 agonies of horror, regret and fear rushed on me at once. The only effort I 

 could make was to fire at him, though the poor youth was still in his mouth. 

 I fired a musket, saw the tiger stagger and agitated, and cried out so immediately, 

 Mr. Downey then fired two shots, and I one more; we retired from the jungle, 

 and a few minutes after Mr. Monro came up to us all over blood, and fell. We 

 took him on our backs to the boat, and got every medical assistance for him 

 from the " Valentine " East Indiaman, which lay at anchor near the island but 

 in vain. He Uved twenty-four hours after, but in the extreme of torture ; his 

 head and skull were torn and broken to pieces, and he was wounded by the claws 

 all over the neck and shoulders ; but it was better to take him away, though 

 irrecoverable, than to leave him to be devoured hmb by limb. We have read 

 the funeral service over him and committed him to the deep. He was an 

 25 



