12 The Carnivora. 
received from my son, Mr. Fred. Palmer, a tea planter in 
Sylhet, Bengal. After writing a short account of a day’s 
sport with snipe and jungle fowl, he adds: ‘Now, I’ll tell you 
a funny thing which happened about 150 yards from my bun- 
galow. A very large tiger had a fight with a wild pig, and 
which do you think won. Why, the pig. The tiger was found 
dead, lying in the tea garden, with wounds all over him, ribs 
broken, and a severe gash across the shoulder. I have the skull 
in my bungalow.’ I am sorry I have no particulars of the 
fight, but trust to obtain a more detailed account. It must 
have been a very exciting set-to, and the result—the victory of 
the wild boar—one that most ‘ pig-stickers, I think, would 
expect. It would be very interesting to collect instances of 
combats between tigers and other game animals, and the results. 
The only instance I am acquainted with of a tiger and wild 
boar fight, other than the above, is given by my friend, Mr. R. 
Sterndale, in one of his graphic and interesting sporting works. 
Mr. Sterndale, when out camping, came up to the battle-field 
of a tiger and boar. The former was killed, and his carcase was 
found still warm, and terribly cut about by the pig. I helieve, 
if we could collect further reliable instances of such fights, we 
should find the fine old Bengal wild boar always victor, and 
retaining his proud place as the pluckiest animal on four feet, 
and, perhaps, the quickest striker. I think there is an account 
given by ‘Old Shekarry’ of a prolonged fight between a tiger 
and a wild buffalo, resulting in a drawn battle, not to be 
renewed, as both died in their last charge.—C. P.” 
Why lions and tigers cannot, or, at all events, do not climb, 
is not easily accounted for. Their great weight, it may be said, 
would preclude them from doing so (but, on the other hand, 
the jaguar, which is quite as heavy as many tigers, climbs with 
the utmost facility), and their strength is far greater in pro- 
portion to their weight than that of the smaller cats. Quite 
recently I saw a lioness in the Zoological Gardens spring from 
the ground and hang by her fore paws for several seconds to a 
transverse bough of the tree trunks erected in the open-air 
