52 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



frightened animals often succeed in breaking away, and then the 

 lion springs upon one of them, and carries it off under cover 

 of the darkness. 



The cubs of the lion are three or four in number, and are just 

 as playful as so many kittens. When they are a day or two old, 

 each is about as big as a fully-grown cat. 



THE TIGER 



Like the lion, the jaguar, the leopard, and the panther, the 

 Tiger belongs to the important family of the Cats. It has the same 

 muscular limbs as our own domestic cat, the same sharp curved 

 claws, with sheaths to protect them when not in use; the same 

 soft pads upon the feet; the same sharp teeth, so suitable for 

 tearing the prey; the same rasp-like tongue; the same curious 

 eyes, so wonderfully adapted for use upon the darkest night; and 

 the same long whiskers, with delicate nerves at their roots, to 

 warn their owner when the path taken is too narrow for the body 

 to pass through. Indeed, if a cat could be magnified to the size 

 of a tiger, there would be very little difference between the two 

 animals. 



The colour, of course, would not be the same, for that of a tiger 

 is tawny yellow, with a number of blackish-brown stripes running 

 transversely round the body and the limbs. One would think that 

 this bright colouring would render the animal very conspicuous. 

 Yet those who have met with the tiger in its native jungles say 

 that it is hardly visible, since its hues harmonize most perfectly 

 with those of the surrounding vegetation. 



The natives of India divide tigers into three classe.s. The 

 first of these they call Hunting Tigers, the second Cattle-eaters, 

 and the third Man-eaters. 



The Hunting Tigers are the 3'oung animals, which are full of 

 health and energy, and prey almost entirely upon the deer and 

 other wild animals which they capture in the jungle. These 

 tigers are rarely destroyed, as they serve to keep down the herds 

 of antelopes, which are often very mischievous in the corn-fields. 



