ON THE HABITS OF TIGERS 103 
by the way they came, conversing in even tones till 
out of hearing. 
The first half-hour of the vigil is of the greatest 
importance, for the tiger may be close at hand, and 
rush out on the kill as soon as he thinks the coast is 
clear. I have seen tigers do this before the men had 
time to go more than 50 yards, and in such cases 
there must not be delay in shooting, or the kill may 
be quickly dragged away into cover. If there are 
no signs of the tiger being near at hand, the first 
alertness may be somewhat relaxed, and then comes 
a period of the greatest interest, when Nature can 
be best studied: for attention need not be concen- 
trated on one animal; there may be others—there 
will certainly be birds and insects—all around, and 
the moment will pass in pleasurable excitement till 
darkness falls. It is especially amusing to watch the 
effect on the birds; not one but will express surprise 
or horror at the sight of the dead buffalo. The 
ground-thrushes will chatter loudly, and even the 
small birds that frequent the tall grasses will warn 
their fellows; the magpies will sit around, and some- 
times venture to alight and feed ; but the behaviour 
of the crows will give the most useful information. 
If the tiger is anywhere near, a sentinel will be 
posted over him while the other crows snatch a 
hurried meal ; but the vultures will not dare to drop 
until the crows feed at ease, for they are slow in 
rising, and need a run of a few yards before they can 
leave the earth. The warning note of the crow, once 
heard, will not be forgotten. It is uttered only for 
the benefit of his friends, but all the wild animals 
know it, and respond by hasty flight. It is curious, 
