THE TIGERS. 49 



THE TIGERS, 



IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 



The tiger is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of quadrupeds : the prevailing colour of the body 

 is a deep tawny or orange yellow ; the face, throat, and lower part of the belly being nearly white; 

 the whole is traversed by numerous black stripes, forming a bold and striking contrast with the ground 

 colour, and which are smaller on the face and breast than on the other parts of the body. The tail is 

 shorter than the body, and is surrounded with black rings, the number of which is almost invariably fif- 

 teen. The average height of the tiger is about three feet, and the length nearly six feet. The size of the 

 animal, according to some authors, is larger, and, according to others, rather smaller than the lion. 

 There, indeed, appear to be two or more distinct animals confounded under the general name of tiger, 

 in the same manner as the panther has been called the leopard, and the cougouar the panther. The 

 true tiger is the largest and most powerful of these auimals, and has obtained the appellation of the 

 royal tiger in testimony of this pre-eminence. This animal is a native of Bengal, the kingdom of Siam, 

 and of Tonquin, of China, Sumatra, in fact, of all the countries of southern Asia, situated beyond the 

 Indus, and extending to the north of China. 



The tiger may be considered as the most ferocious of quadrupeds ; indeed, so sanguinary is his dis- 

 position, that there is no animal, however strong and powerful, that he will not venture to attack. He 

 commits the most lamentable ravages among flocks and herds in the countries where he resides, and 

 neither the sight nor the opposition of man has any power to make him desist. When undisturbed 

 in seizing an animal, he plunges his head into his body, and drinks large draughts of blood, the sources 

 of which are generally exhausted before his thirst is appeased. Dreadful combats sometimes take 

 place between the tiger and the lion, and they are carried on with such fury and obstinacy, that both 

 parties are often found dead together. 



The method of the tiger's seizing his prey is by concealing himself from view, and springing upon 

 it with a horrible roar. His cry in the act of springing on the victim is said to be hideous beyond 

 expression ; and we are told that, like the lion, if he misses his object, he walks away without repeat- 

 ing the attempt. When he can securely attack mankind, he is said to prefer them to any other prey, 

 but he seldom makes an open attack upon any creature that is capable of resistance. The roar of the 

 tiger, which is chiefly heard during the night, begins by intonations and inflections, deep, melancholy, 

 and slow ; presently it becomes more acute, then the animal suddenly exerting himself utters a violent 

 cry, interrupted by long, tremulous sounds, which make a distracting impression upon the mind. 



Near the borders of Tartary, tigers are very frequent, and in so populous an empire as China it 

 would seem impossible for them to have remained till the present day unextirpated. In the northern 

 roads, hundreds of travellers are sometimes seen with lanterns carried before them to secure them from 

 the attacks of these ravenous animals. In some parts of India, tigers are particularly fatal to wood- 

 cutters and labourers about the forests, and they have been known to swim to boats at . anchor, at a 

 little distance from the shore, and snatch the men from on board. In Java they are so much dreaded, 

 that when any person of consequence goes out into the country, he has with him men who blow inces- 

 santly a kind of small French horn, the shrill sound of which frightens these creatures away. 



The hunting of tigers is a favourite amusement with some of the eastern princes, who go in search 

 of them, attended by considerable bodies of men, well mounted and armed with lances. As soon as 



