116 Felid-f- MAMMALIA. Felid.e. 
follov^ing account of the habits of two half-tamed 
examples : — “ Both specimens, while in a state of con- 
finement, were remarkable for their good temper and 
playfulness ; no domestic kitten could be more so ; 
they were always courting intercourse with persons 
passing b^', and in the expression of their countenance, 
which was always open and smiling, showed the 
greatest delight when noticed, throwing themselves on 
their backs, and delighting in being tickled and rubbed. 
On board the ship there was a small music dog, who 
used to ])lay round the cage with the animal, and it 
was amusing to observe the playfulness and tenderness 
with which the latter came in contact with his inferior- 
sized companion. When fed with a fowl that died, 
he seized the prey, and after sucking the blood and 
tearing it a little, he amused himself for hours in 
throwing it about, and jumping after it in the manner 
that a cat plays with a mouse before it is quite dead. 
He never seemed to look on man or children as prey, 
but as companions ; and the natives assert that when 
wild, they live principally on poultrjq birds, and the 
smaller kinds of deer. They are not found in numbers 
and may be considered rather rare animals, even in 
the southern part of Sumatra. Both specimens were 
procured from the interior of' Bencoolen, on the banks 
of the river of that name. They are generally found 
Fig 36. 
'Pile Jaguar fFelis Onca). 
in the vicinity of villages, and are not dreaded by the 
natives, except as far as they may destroy the poultry. 
The natives assert that they sleep and often lay wait 
for their prey on trees; and from this circumstance 
they derive the name of Dalian, which signifies the 
fork formed by the branch of a tree, across which they 
are said to rest and occasionally stretch themselves.” 
The Rimau-dyan is identical with, and also known by 
the name of, the Clouded tiger. A fine living example 
exists in the Zoological Society’s collection, Regent’s 
Park. 
THE TIGER {Felis T^V/mj—Plate 8, fig 29— is 
readily distinguished from all other feline mammalia by 
its large bulk, associated with the characteristic trans- 
verse bands which occupy all parts of the body. The 
stripes form rings on the tail, the tip being always black. 
On the inside of the limbs and under part of the belly 
the fur is white. In some examples there is more 
splitting of the bands than in others, forming what are 
termed the double stripes. In all the tigers we have 
seen, this tendency was more or less marked. In the 
specimen called “Jungla,” now exhibiting in this 
country, and formerly the property of the king of Onde, 
this variation is remarkably developed; but in other 
respects the much vaunted “fighting tiger” is not to be 
compared with the examples preserved in the Zoological 
Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park. The Tiger is not 
furnished with a mane, and he stands less erect than 
the lion ; his entire shape and make being more slender 
and graceful than that of his noble-looking congener. 
In regard to its geographical distribution, it is almost 
entirely confined to the great Indian peninsula and its 
adjacent islands, although it is also found in central 
and eastern Asia — in the latter region as far as Chinese 
Tartary. Early writers have celebrated in strong 
term.s the terocious and amazingly destructive habits 
of this animal ; while its enormous strength, prodigious 
speed, and tremendous leaping powers, have over and 
