Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-24
Notes on the Tiger.

The Burmese declare there are two Varle- ties of tiger, those of the plains being much larger than those found in the hills The latter have & shorter tail and are said to be more active and vicious. But as no two tigers, whether shot on the plains or on the hills are identically alike, varieties might be multiplied dd Libit,tn. Tigers which live In the hills have far harder work to keep their larder supplied than pampered tiger of the plains who takes up his abode near large village and slaughters as many bullocks or COWS as he pleases, and increases ID size until he becomes a monster, while the former re- mains small and lean. The largest tiger l was ever at the death of measured as he lay 10 feet l inch, when begged out 13 feet inches. I noted the measurements at the time. and it was Imaginable how, after the lapse of time, the dimensions of this animal varied according to the memory of the indl- vidual relating the circumstances. With some he WAS 124 feet long, with others 13i feet, with others 101 feet, as he lay dead It shows how necessary it is to record In black and white at the time exact measurements, otherwise one's memory is apt to prove treacherous We thus hear of tigers of fab
 uIous sizes. I myself believe 10 feet inches perhaps 10 feet inches-to be the utmost length of tiger, living or dead. Mir. Camp bell. Deputy Commissioner of Dubri, who has killed and seen killed a great many tigers,
 
 It is disputed point how a tiger strikes down its prey, and, although l have lived In and roamed jungles for the greater part of my life, and have had two ponies killed, l never saw an animal struck down, though l have come upon the quivering carcass not yet cold. Opinions differ. Williamson says ''rhe tigers fore paw is the invarisble engine of destruction. Most persons imagine that if tiger were deprived of it's claws and teeth he would be rendered harmless, but this is great error. The weight of the limb is the real cause of mischief, for the talous are rarely extended when tiger seizes. The operation is similar to that of a hammer the tiger raises his paw and brings it down with such force not only to stun com mon sized bullock or buffalo, but even crush ing the bones of the skull. I have seen many men and deer that had been killed by tigers, in most of which no mark of a claw could be seen and when scratches did appear they were obviously the effect of chance from the claw sliding downward, and not from design" Johnson is of 8 contrary opinion, for he says During a residence of nine years in Chittra I never saw man or animal killed by tiger that had not the mark of talons, yet I admit that the force with which tiger generally strikes is sufficient of itself, without the aid of his claws, to kill men or large animals, and I believe that it occasionally takes place in the manner have described, but never from it's weight like the fall of hammer" Of my two ponies, the first was seized in the stable by the throat and the wind-pipe severed, and I also saw a bullock thus treated at Papieondah, on the Godavery. My second pony was killed by a grip of the upper part of the neck by which the jugular was severed, and, though the tiger was driven of, the pony bled to death.