The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-08-11
Ghin9s Sbroad,
The Tiger and Panther Of the Indian Jun
gls-Thsir FerOoity.

The Tiger and Panther Of the Indian Jun
gle-Their Ferocity.
The tiger, the tyrant Of the Indian jun
gle, has, as is due, the precedence over his
teeblcr or less dreaded congeners Skirt
ing the base of the Himalayan range, OK
tending east and west for many hundreds
Of miles, is tract of land covered with
jungle, called the Teni; this is his chosen
home. Graded in the long feathery grass
of the jungle, he gambols about in his in
fancy playful as kitten, and usually at
tains when full grown the length of nine
or nine and half feet. Wild hogs, deer,
and all the larger specimens of game are
his usual prey, but sometimes a pair Of
tigers will take up their abode within q
mile of village, sallying out from their
lair every three or four days to pull down
bullock or buffalo, always selecting the
fattest in the herd, The strength Of their
muscular forearms is enormous, Captain
Baldwin says :-"I remember iu Assam
tiger in the dead of night leaping over
fence nearly five feet high, seizing one of
the largest oxen, and again leaping back,
dragging the bullock after him across sew
eral fields and over two hedges. In his
old age when his teeth become worn he
not infrequently becomes man eater;
and such is the devastation he then occa-
sions that whole villages are sometimes
deserted and extensive districts are laid
waste from dread of these feline scourges.
In these disastrous circumstances the ad-
vent Of au English sportsman with his rifle
and elephants is hailed as godsend by the
whole neighborhood A tiger when brought
to bay often "spits" exactly like a cat.
Contrary to the received opinion, tigers
seldom roar; but at night the forests re-
sound with the hideous din of their cries,
which resemble the caterwauling of whole
squadron of gigantic tomcats. In making
a charge the tiger utters a series Of short,
vicious, coughing growls, as trying to the
nerves as the most terrible roar. Tiger
hunting, even from elephant back, is al
ways accompanied with danger. One day
when Captain Baldwin and friend were
out beating the bush for tigers, one of the
beaters, fine young man, "foolishly crept
forward to try aud discover the actual spot
where the tiger was hiding. He must
have approached within few feet of the
animal, for it struck but one blow without
moving or exposing its body, and dashed
the young man with great violence to the
bottom of stony ravine." He was res
cucd at once, but died the same evening,
his skull having been fractured by the
blow from the tigers paw. In tiger shoot
ing, when you discharge your piece,
whether you hit or miss, you must not
move, but. stand perfectly still, keep your
eye on the animal and put in fresh car
fridge. Many lamentable accidents have
occurred from sportsmen going rapidly up
to fallen tigers, enormously supposing them
to be dead. One or two stones should al |
ways be thrown first, to see what mischief !
is left in him, for it is quite possible that
he may require another bullet as qaietus.
A tiger cannot climb trees, but he can |
spring to a considerable height, and this
should be remembered in shooting them
from what are called machans, sort of |
framework Of poles resting on the higher
branches Of u tree. An officer, some years
ago in central India, got into tree which |
overhung watercourse to wait for tigers. |
He was considerable way up the tree, |
but he did not advert to the fact that the |
high bank Of the ravine behind him was
almost on level with him. In no long
time tiger came to drink, and he fred at
it and hit it, but failed to kill il, when the
enraged brute rushed up the bank TO the |
higher bank behind, and springing upon
him, dragged him out of the tree and bit |
and tore him so frightfully that he died |
very soon after he was rescued.
Powerful and ferocious as the tiger is,
he is afraid of the wild dog. A pack of
these rayenous creatures, finding strength
in their union, will set upon and kill and |
dcyour tiger. In the opinion of come
old Indian spOrtsmen the panther is even
more to be dreaded than the tiger. He
is a large, powerful, thoroughly ferocious
brute. In old age he also sometimes takes
to man eating, but not SO often as the tiger
does. Our author, however, gives an in
stance "of one in Gwalior who had de-
voured over fifty human beings, and was
the terror Of the whole district" One
evening Captain Baldwin, along with
friend, was perched in a tree in an open
part Of the jungle, near the carcass Of o
COW, which had been killed, as was sup
posed, by a tiger The body was covered
with birds of prey, struggling and fighting
over it like so many feathered demons, |
when suddenly great commotion occur I
red among the noisy diners-out, and with
wish-h.h of their heavy wings they left
their dainty fare, and few into the trees
close by, making way, as it appeared, for
their betters, for very soon huge brute
approached the carcass and began to tear
aud gnaw at the flesh. "a tiger r. whis-
pered the captain to his companion. "No,
very large panther answered the other;
firing as he spoke, but not killing the ami
NAL. In minute he recovered himself,
and springing up made straight for the
tree. 1t was an ugly situation, for al
though tiger cannot climb tree, a pam
ther can as well as a cat. As heapproached
another shot was fired at him, which pass
ed between his forelegs, aud he paused
aud looked up. "Never," says the author
"shall | forget the ferocious expression of
that terrible countenance." An awful mo
ment Of suspense followed, during which
Captain Baldwin contrived to give him his
quietus, Chambers Journal
Fishing in China. |