54 WILD ANIMALS. 



in some dense covert close to water where animals resort to drink, 

 and when one of these approaches near enough, he bounds out on 

 his prey in perfect silence, or with an abrupt or sonorous growl, 

 terribly startling, which appears to paralyze the victim, and 

 deprive it of all power to fly or resist." 



The average size of the tiger appears to be somewhere between 

 nine and ten feet, measuring from the nose to the tip of the tail, 

 and the girth of body behind the shoulders about five feet six 

 inches. Individuals attain, however, much larger dimensions, 

 and the stuffed animal in the zoological collection in the Natural 

 History department of the British Museum, presented by Mr. 

 Sanderson, is considerably above the figures here quoted ; and an 

 animal exhibited by Colonel Kamsay some years ago in London 

 was 12 feet long, and the tail 3 feet 9 inches ; the circumference of 

 the head of this noble beast was 3 feet 8 inches ; girth of fore-arm, 

 2 feet lOJ inches ; and girth of neck, 3 feet 7 inches. It is difficult 

 to estimate the age tigers attain. Mr. Cross, a former menagerie 

 owner of great experience, places twenty-five years as the average 

 duration of life in lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, and hygenas. 

 The natives of India have an idea that the lobes of the liver are a 

 sure indication of the age, there being one lobe for each year ; 

 but this theory is not accepted by the scientists of the day. 



In appearance the tigress differs somewhat from the tiger, being 

 smaller, narrower, more lithe and slender generally, and the head 

 and chest less massive. She is also more savage, and, when 

 accompanied by her young, her ferocity makes her a more formid- 

 able creature than a male tiger. It seems to be an unaccountable 

 fact that tigresses are far more numerous than tigers. The cubs 

 generally number three or four, and are very pretty little animals, 

 being striped like the parents, but less distinctly; but when a 

 few weeks old they begin to display their cunning, and seem to 

 attack and worry cattle or game out of mere sport, so that a 

 tigress with cubs the natives find a particularly objectionable 

 visitor to have prowling around their village. When four or 

 five months old the young tigers become formidable in appearance 

 and power, so that when they have to be captured for exhibition 

 purposes they must be taken very young, and reared in the 



