ANIMAL MECHANICS. 



127 



sister, arrived in the Dublin Zoological Gardens on the 22nd 

 March, i860, being then about two years old ; they were a do- 

 nation to the Gardens from Major- General Montgomery (Bom- 

 bay Army), who had shot their mother and carried home the 

 two cubs, and afterwards kept them in his bungalow for nearly 

 one year. While under General Montgomery's care they had 

 become playmates to his children, and it is a remarkable fact, 

 that when visited by two of these children in the Dublin Gar- 

 dens, after nearly two years' absence, both animals recognised 

 their former friends, and expressed their satisfaction by loud 

 purring and by licking the children's hands gently with the 

 tips of their tongues, being well aware that the rough surface 

 of the tongue would cause pain. The claw of the fourth 

 finger of the right paw of the tiger grew into the finger pad 

 of the foot early in 1866, and was removed by me in May of 

 that year ; afterwards the claws of the second, third, and fifth 

 fingers grew into the finger pads, and were cut by me in 

 January, 1867. On both occasions the tiger showed great 

 anger at the pain that was caused by. the operation, but shortly 

 afterwards insisted on licking my hands, expressing his desire 

 to do so by constant purring and by rolling himself upon his 

 back, in the manner of a kitten at play. 



It is worthy of remark that it required the united strength 

 of eight men, to hold the tiger during these operations, al- 

 though I have seen a similar operation performed easily upon 

 a large African lion, with the help of five men. 



This tiger died on the 20th February, 1869, of malignant 

 putrid fever, after forty-eight hours' illness, and on dissecting 

 his muscles, I paid particular attention to the relative deve- 

 lopement of the deep flexors of the right and left paws. The 

 only claw that had again grown into the pads of the foot was 

 that of the third finger of the right foot. 



