TSE ROYAL TIQER OF BENGAL. 79 



and immediately afterwards sink down on her knees. 

 The tigress had charged home and got her by the 

 trunk. The elephant, Eaj Kawan, was very staunch, 

 and the tigress was very soon knocked and shaken 

 off without doing any mischief. Just as I ap- 

 proached the spot she charged, and received two 

 balls as she was hugging the elephant by the fore 

 leg, which brought her down again. She made 

 another attempt to charge, but without success, 

 and she received the contents of five or six more 

 barrels before she died. She remained in the 

 crouching posture, as if ready for a spring, and it 

 was a moment or two before we were certain that 

 she was dead. She was a very beautifully-marked 

 full-grown tigress, of what the natives call the 

 Keerie variety. She fought and died hard. The 

 natives have the idea, and many Europeans share 

 it with them, that there are two varieties of tiger, 

 the Keerie and Tinger; but they are mistaken, 

 there is only one, and any difference as to colour, 

 size, or shape, is mainly what depends on age, sex, 

 and local causes. Some tigers are much more 

 beautifully marked than others. Those that fre- 

 quent the forest much are said to be darker and more 

 vividly marked than the others, but this is the only 

 real difference. My authority for this is a good one 

 — Mr. Blyth, of the Asiatic Society's Museum in 

 Calcutta. 



" The elephant was not in the least injured by the 

 tigress, and we, especially D., are much pleased with 



