IN CAPTIVITY IN LOWER BENGAL. 45 



is sometimes given to these animals, and it has been observed in 

 this connection that all of them are not equally adept in killing their 

 prey. The tame lion spoken of before held its prey, a kid or a sheep, 

 by the loins, causing" it much unnecessary pain and suffering, and 

 otherwise behaved as a most inexperienced beast of prey; whereas 

 another would kill its victim in skilful style, holding it by the throat, 

 and showing great ferocity, excitability and quickness in the operation. 

 Tame lions, which joyfully respond to the attention paid to them, 

 have been found to become cross and irritable at certain seasons. Lions 

 are more noisy than tigers, roaring chiefly in the evening, towards the 

 latter part of the night and in the morning. Circumstances apparently 

 trivial sometimes affect an animal in a most extraordinary and 

 unaccountable way : the old block of Wood inside the den of the pair of 

 full-grown lions having become worn-out and tbin, a much larger and 

 heavier one was substituted ; the lion smelt, examined, and seized it, 

 remained crouching close to its possession, and growled fiercely at every- 

 body who attempted to approach the cage, even resenting the near 

 presence of the female with savage ferocity ; it would not stir from the 

 place, so that it was impossible to clean the cage. For further informa- 

 tion regarding Lions, Blanford's Fauna of British India — Mammalia, 

 and Elliot's Monograph of Felidse may be consulted. 



(48) THE TIGEE. 



(FELIS TIGKIS— Linn.) 



Hindi — Sher, Bagh. Bengali — Bagh. 



Tigers are subject to great variations in form and colour. Those 

 from the Bengal Sunderbuns have generally a darker ground colour 

 than the denizens of the hill ranges of Central and Southern India : 

 the Malayan tigers again are darker even than those from the Sunder- 

 buns. Some have larger ears with proportionately larger ear spots 

 (white patches outside each ear) : the size and form of the head also vary 

 according as the convexity of the forehead and the facial portion is less 

 or more prominent, and the skull broad or narrow. The females are 

 more slender and elongated in form than the males, which are generally 

 heavier in build. 



Hab.— The tiger is only found in Asia, and is distributed through- 

 out India, Burmah, South-Eastern Asia, Java and Sumatra ; and also 

 throughout China. In Central Asia it is found in the valley of the 

 Amur, the Altai mountains, around Lob Nor in Eastern Turkestan, 

 and on the southern shores of the Caspian. In India it is not confined 

 to the plains only, but is found in the Himalayas, though probably not 

 at a higher altitude than 7,000 feet. Tigers have been received in this 

 garden from the following places : — The Sunderbuns, Dacca, Mymen- 

 singh, Tipperah, Rungpore, Malda, Hazaribagh, Eanchi, Sonthal 

 Pergunnahs, Gya, Durbhunga, Dumraon, Mirzapore, Allahabad, Bijnour 

 (North-Western Provinces), Travancore (Southern India), Ganjam 

 (Madras), Sumatra, Malacca. 



Length of life in captivity. 

 The longest period during which a tiger has lived in this garden 

 has been fourteen years. One of a pair of man-eating tigers obtained 

 in 1878 is still alive, and, though old, is in excellent health. 



