14 THE EOTAL TIGER OF BENGAL. 



growls or barkings -wliich accompany it, reveal his 

 presence, he may be mistaken. The tigress differs 

 from the tiger ; the head, as well as the whole 

 body, is smaller and narrower. The neck is lighter, 

 and is devoid of any crest, which though very 

 much smaller than the voluminous mane of the 

 lion, undoubtedly exists in large and old males. 

 The tigress i8_ lither, more active, and "^^4^en 

 accompanied by her offspring far more savage 

 and blood-thirsty than the male ; she will then 

 attack, even when unprovoked, and in defence of 

 her young, of which she is proverbially fond, is 

 as courageous as she is vicious. Most of the acci- 

 dents that have befallen sportsmen and others who 

 have encountered these animals have been due to 

 tigresses. I have seen a tigress, accompanied 

 by her young, charge, unprovoked, a line of ele- 

 phants, and inflict severe injuries before she was 

 despatched. The only well-authenticated case in 

 which a sportsman was taken out of a howdah was 

 one in which a tigress, in one bound, reached the 

 sportsman, her hind feet resting on the elephant's 

 head — the fore feet on the rail of the howdah. The 

 occupant, who had mortally wounded her as she 

 sprang, was seized, and, after a short struggle, 

 dragged or thrown to the ground. The tigress then 

 received another bullet, and died where she fell ; the 

 sportsman, severely wounded, was <earried into camp, 

 and slowly recovered from the injuries, which were 

 severe. This occuired to the well-known Colonel 



