Ill THE LAKE DISTRICT 97 



a large reward must be offered for the carcass of 

 a Tiger, and an offer of £10 during a year for a live 

 Tiger to be delivered in Launceston was unsuccess- 

 ful. It pays the shepherd very much better just 

 to hack off its head and take it round on his rides. 

 Although the Tiger is by no means confined to the 

 Lake District, it is more abundant here than any- 

 where else, though a stray individual may turn up 

 on nearly all the big sheep stations throughout the 

 island. The only cry uttered when hunting is 

 described as resembling the whine of a puppy. 



The other large carnivorous Marsupial which, 

 like the Tiger, is also confined to Tasmania is the 

 Devil (Sarcophilus ur sinus) (Fig. 24). The Devil 

 is far commoner than the Tiger and more widely 

 distributed through the island ; it is a very 

 clumsily built creature about the size of a bull- 

 pup, with coarse black fur and white markings, the 

 face and snout being of an unhealthy whitish-pink. 

 Like the Tiger it destroys sheep, making a single 

 meal off each capture ; being slow and clumsy in 

 its movements it lies in wait for a sheep and then 

 springs at its neck, fastening its hold with bull-dog 

 tenacity. This animal is really far fiercer than 

 the Tiger and exceedingly difficult to kill ; it 

 generally lairs in a hollow stump and only goes out 

 hunting at night ; it can only be caught in a trap 

 baited with raw meat. A curious fact with regard 

 to the Devil and the Tiger is that both of them 

 are helpless if grasped firmly by the tail, being 

 unable to bend the body sideways below the neck. 



smith: n.t. /-, 



