42 WILD ANIMALS. 



be, when old it becomes mucli paler; the young ones, when full 

 grown, being easily distinguishable by the richness of their colour. 



Bright and vivid as the tone is generally, it is no less remark- 

 able for the perfect way in which it harmonizes with the grass or 

 jungle in which these creatures lurk and prowl, and they often baffle 

 the keenest eyes to discover or distinguish them even at the distance 

 of a few yards, a fact that adds considerably to the danger incurred 

 by the beaters and hunters in that favourite of all Indian sports 

 — tiger-shooting. For, as was remarked by one of the ablest of 

 writers in the Quarterly, the stripes, spots, and colour constituting 

 the characteristic markings of the larger feline animals are not 

 for ornament alone, but bear a direct relation to the circum- 

 stances under which they carry on their predatory pursuits. The 

 tawny colour of the lion harmonizes with the parched grass or yellow 

 sand along which he steals to stalk his prey ; the dark, vertical 

 stripes of the royal tiger, and the yellowish ground-colour of his 

 coat, render him less easily discerned as he glides along through the 

 straight stems of the underwood in the jungle. The leopard and 

 the panther derive a similar advantage from having the general 

 colour of their skins broken by dark spots, like the leaves around 

 them, as they crouch on the outstretched branches of the trees. 



The striped and spotted fur, peculiar to these animals and 

 others of the cat family, as well as their general colouring, seems also 

 to be indicative of ferocity of character, for we see it generally 

 reproduced in those members of the animal world that exhibit 

 this trait, such as the most ferocious kind of dogs and birds ; 

 and a little careful inspection of the animals in any collection will 

 soon make it evident that there is a fundamental connection 

 between their colourings and markings, and their physical and 

 mental qualities. Thus the yellow of the lion and his congeners 

 is reproduced in the owl and several birds of prey, as well as 

 in numerous other predatory creatures which inherit savage and 

 comparatively untamable dispositions. 



Both in size and strength the tiger competes with, if not actually 

 exceeds, the lion; and although lacking the dignity the mane 

 and imposing front confer upon the latter, yet in general beauty 

 of appearance most people consider the tiger far surpasses him. 



