382 
CARNIVORES. 
thickets on the east bank of the Sea of Aral and the Sir Darya, as well as in 
the Kirghiz steppes, its chief food is derived from the wild swine which inhabit 
those thickets, and also from the herds of wild asses and saiga antelope frequenting 
the more open country. In these districts the tiger is much dreaded by the 
nomadic inhabitants; and it is said to attain dimensions considerably greater than 
those which it reaches in warmer regions. 
Much misapprehension has prevailed as to the mode in which tigers kill their 
prey; the ordinary notion that they spring upon their victims from a distance, and 
after killing them either by a blow from the paw. or by tearing at the throat 
with their claws, and afterwards sucking the blood, being now proved to be 
incorrect. Mr. Sanderson, who has paid particular attention to these points, and 
whose explanation, although at variance with that of some other experienced 
sportsmen, is now pretty generally accepted, writes as follows on the subject:— 
“ I have never witnessed a tiger actually seize its prey, but it has been described to 
me by men who have seen the occurrence scores of times within a few yards’ 
distance while tending cattle. The general method is for the tiger to slink up 
under cover of bushes or long grass, ahead of the cattle in the direction they are 
feeding, and to make a rush at the first cow or bullock that comes within five or 
six yards. The tiger does not spring upon his prey in the manner usually 
represented. Clutching the bullock’s fore-quarters with his paws, one being 
generally over the shoulder, he seizes the throat in his jaws from underneath, and 
turns it upwards and over, sometimes springing to the far side in doing so, to throw 
the bullock over, and give the wrench which dislocates its neck. This is frequently 
done so quickly that the tiger, if timid, is in retreat again almost before the herds¬ 
man can turn round. Bold animals often kill several head, unsophisticated cattle 
occasionally standing and staring at the tiger in stupid astonishment; but 
herds that are accustomed to these raids only enter the jungle with extreme 
unwillingness.” Occasionally the tiger seizes its prey by the nape of the neck; 
the blow of his paw will, however, stun even a large animal; and it is quite 
possible that cattle may be killed in this manner. Tigers will on rare occasions 
kill buffalo and gaur, and similar prey, by hamstringing them, probably by a 
blow with the claws. Such hamstrung animals are occasionally met with, but 
the exact method in which it is accomplished remains unknown. The notion that 
the tiger sucks the blood of his victim is a myth. The late afternoon is the time 
at which cattle are usually seized by tigers when grazing in the jungles, although 
they may be struck down at any time of the day. If killed during the daytime 
the carcase of the victim is usually left where it lies till evening. At nightfall, or 
perhaps earlier, the tiger returns to the “ kill,” and either commences to devour 
it at once, if the spot is sufficiently secluded, or proceeds to remove it to one 
more convenient. The feast is commenced on the hind-quarters as a general 
rule ; and, after he has satisfied his appetite, the tiger may either retire to a 
convenient resting-place in the neighbourhood, from which it can rush out to 
drive away jackals and other intruders from the “ kill,” or may completely conceal 
it under bushes and leaves, and seek a more distant lair in the neighbourhood of 
water. When it has recovered from the effects of its gorge, the tiger returns for 
a second meal; and it appears that in about three days the carcase is reduced to 
