FELIDAS 513 
Borneo, or the other islands of the Indo-Malayan Archipelago, 
except those above mentioned. Its absence from Ceylon leads 
Mr. Blanford to conclude that the Tiger has only recently migrated 
into Southern India. 
The principal food of the Tiger in India is cattle, deer, wild hog, 
and pea-fowl, and occasionally human beings. The regular * man- 
eater” is generally au old Tiger whose vigour is passed, and whose 
teoth are worn and defective: it takes up its abode in the ucigh- 
bourhood of a village, the population of which it finds an easier 
prey than the larger or wilder animals named above. Though 
chietly affecting grassy plains or swamps, it is also found in forests, 
and seems to be fond of haunting the neighbourhood of old ruins. 
As arule, Tigers do not climb trees: but when pressed by fear, as 
during an inundation, they have been known to do so. They take 
to the water readily and are good swimmers. The Tigers of the 
Sundarbans (Ganges delta) continually swim from one island to the 
other to change their hunting-grounds for deer. The following 
oxtract on the habits of the Tiger is taken from Sir J. Fayrer’s 
Royal Liger of Bengal (A879) :— 
“The tigress gives birth to from two to five, even six cubs; 
but three is a frequent number. She is a most attectionate and 
attached mother, and generally guards and trains her young with 
tho most watehful solicitude. They remain with her until nearly 
full grown, or about the second year, when they ave able to lall for 
themselves and begin life on their own account, Whilst they 
remain with her she is peculiarly vicious and aggressive, defending 
them with the greatest courage and energy, and when robbed of 
them is terrible in her rage: but she has been known to desert 
them when pressed, and even to cat them when starved. As soon 
as they begin to require other food than her milk, she kills for 
them, teaching them te do so for themselves by practising on small 
animals, such as deer and young calves or pigs. At these times 
she is wanton and extravagant in her eruelty, killing apparently 
for the gratification of her ferocious and bloodthirsty nature, and 
pethaps to excite and instruct the young ones, and it is not until 
they are thoroughly capable of killing their own food that she 
separates from them. The young tigers are fav more destructive 
than the old. They will kill three or four cows at a time, whilst 
the older and more experienced rarely kill more than one, and this 
at intervals of from three or four days to a week. For this pur- 
pose the tiger will leave its retreat in the dense jungle, proceed to 
the neighbourhood of a village or gowrie, where cattle feed. and 
during the night will steal on and strike down a bullock, drag it 
into a secluded place, and then remain near the ‘marrie, or 
“kill, for several days, until it has eaten it, when it will proceed 
in search of a further supply, and, having found good hunting 
Qe 
care) 
