58 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



brink of a river, to surprise such animals as come to quench 

 their thirst ; and like the lion bounds upon its prey, easily 

 TnaHng a spring of twenty feet and upwards. When it has 

 killed one a nima l it often attacks others, swallowing their 

 blood for which it has an insatiable thirst in large draughts ; 

 for even when satisfied with food, it is not satiated with 

 slaughter. The %er is said by some to prefer human flesh 

 to that of any other animal; and it is certain, that it does 

 not, like many other beasts of prey, shun the presence of 

 man, but has been even known on more than one occasion 

 to spring upon a hunting parly when seated at their refresh- 

 ment, jutid carry oflf one of the number, rushing through the 

 shrubs into the forest, and devouring the unfortunate victim 

 at its leisure. The strength as well as the agility of this animal 

 is remarkable; it carries off a deer with the greatest ease. 



The tiger is ornamented with long streaks across its body. 

 The ground colour is yellow, very deep on the back, but 

 growing lighter towards the belly, where it softens to white, 

 as it does also on the throat and the inside of the legs. The 

 bars which cross the body from the back to the beDy are of 

 the most beautiful black, and the skin altogether is so extremely 

 fine and glossy, that it is much esteemed, and sold at a high 

 price in all the eastern countries, especially China, "The 

 colouring of the tiger," says the Rev. J. G. Wood," is a good 

 instance of the manner in which animals are protected by 

 the similarity of their external appearance to the particular 

 locality in which they reside. The stripes on the tiger's skin 

 so exactly assimilate with the long jungle grass amongst which 

 it lives, that it is impossible for unpractised eyes to discern 

 the animal at aH, even when a considerable piortion of its 

 body is exposed." 



Bavages The ravages committed by tigers have often 

 Committed led to the organisation of hunting psirties formed 



°y iSOTs. ^^ ^ ^^^ ^ exterminate the more aggressive 

 of the enemy. The following narrative of a tiger excursion 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



