58 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE.

brink of a river, to surprise such animals as come to quench
their thirst; and like the lion bounds upon its prey, easily
making a spring of twenty feet and upwards. When it has
killed one animal it often attacks others, swallowing their
blood for which it has an insatiable thirst in large draughts ;
for even when satisfied with food, it is not satiated with
slaughter. The tiger is said by some to prefer human flesh
to that of any other animal; and it is certain, that it does
not, like many other beasts of prey, shun the presence of
man, but has been even known on more than one occasion
to spring upon a hunting party when seated at their refresh-
ment, and carry off one of the number, rushing through the
shrubs into the forest, and devouring the unfortunate victim
at its leisure. The strength as well as the agility of this animal
is remarkable; it carries off a deer with the greatest ease.
The tiger is omamented with long streaks across its body.
The ground colour is yellow, very deep on the back, but
growing lighter towards the belly, where it softens to white,
as it does also on the throat and the inside of the legs. The
bars which cross the body from the back to the belly are of
the most beautiful black, and the skin altogether is so extremely
fine and glossy, that it is much esteemed, and sold at a high
price in all the eastern countries, especially China. “The
colouring of the tiger,” says the Rev. J. G. Wood,” isa good
instance of the manner in which animals are protected by
the similarity of their external appearance to the particular
locality in which they reside. The stripes on the tiger’s skin
so exactly assimilate with the long jungle grass amongst which
it lives, that it is impossible for unpractised eyes to discern
the animal at all, even when a considerable portion of its
body is exposed.”
Ravages The ravages committed by tigers have often
Committed led to the organisation of hunting parties formed
by Tigers. ith a view to exterminate the more aggressive
of the enemy. The following narrative of a tiger excursion