Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-16
THE FEROCIOUS BEAUTY
or THE JUNGlES AND Forests OF
INDIA AND eURMAH.
.'hc Tiger in His Natural State-Attacking
Prey on the Open Piain-Enormous
Forearm of the Beast-Usual Mode of
Capturing Food-Man-Eaters.

l..
.:,cle, in which the gray hairs were beginning
70 appear pretty thickly, sat in the rotunda
Of the Palmer house the other evening. To
o,ok at him one would not think there wa
;riy thing very remarkable in his appearance,
nus he was all tie same, one of the best known
Jl.i,.lrris Of tie far East, famous throughout
India and Bur1nah as the most deadly tiger
-iio: since the days of Gordon Cumming.
Wherever the camp fire is lit and the day
port Is being talked over some anecdote of
jack Alger is sure TO be introduced.
FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE TIGER
My first acquaintance with the tiger in
Ms natural STATE said Mr.. Alger, In reply to
request for a yarn" was made in tho
;r,..zies of the Terai They are hard beasts to
tackle. especially the man-eaters, and those
who cave engaged LII tiger shooting, either
on foot or ON elephants, know full well how
many shots the brute sometimes takes.
Where population Is exceedingly scarce the
.iy.l- loses much Of his skulking, hiding dis
position, and attacks his prey in the open /
Knew once of LAD herding cattle who was
parsuea over meadow and through the herd,
and Wa killed by the tiger, who had begun
70 eat him, when scared away by the villagers.
/ Sd" tuc pcuy IL Aoy III tHc HiioSt "a ia
open field. at least 200 yards from any cover.
It was dsemboweled, with the chest torn
vide open, but the face was as that OF one
who lies in pleasant sleep.
The enormous forearm of the tiger has at
sracted attention. You have seen cat pat
4 dead mouse or the face Of dog that was
teasing her, and it is easy to understand what
tremendous blow tiger could give In tho
Si;ne manner, but 1 believe IL mistake &c
suppose that he strikes down his prey with
as paw. He strikes In sef-defense and when
istiins, but not when seiAng his victim. l
iase seen many carcasses OF deer, cattle, buf-
,;.loes, and horses which had been killed by
i Is, and they all had the same appearance
-ioIr deep holes at the back OF tho neck
made by the animals incisor teeth: no other
mark, and OF course # the tiger had begun to
-,e'l on the body 1t was extensively lacerafed
..,i il the prey had struggled much and had
Il 'coetied in dragging the tiger few yards
.: chest and foreiess would bear the impres-
ion OF the claws and the tremendous grip,
-. these, Is far as my experience goes, were
EXCEPTIONAL cases.
III is evident that the tiger, In Selling bus
prey, rIshes onto its back, grips the neck
.vi:h his jaws as with wise, and with
rs arms combining the animals struggles, lies
ARE upon its victimS,ntil IL Is suffocated
With human being it is different. A tiger
las been seen to seize and carry OIL man by
Ike neck, or the arm, or thigh, indiiferently.
SEARCH IN THE JUNGLE
Il was out once after a tiger on foot, and,
having wounded him severely, was searching
FOR him in the Jungle with q number of
oea.ers. Three times we came upon him, and
each time he broke cover by charging through
he mob of US. Once he struck q man on the
hest. knocking him over, and scratching hum
..v,rely. Next time he seized ono of the
Aea.ers in his jaws, by the thigh, giving him
a rapid shake and passing on. But these are
all cases in which the animal was acting in
;eif-tiefeIlse, or in retaliation. What I havo
aid before refers to its usual mode of cap
curing food.
We are told in natural history books that
he .iyer disdains to touch carrion. This is
not so The same thing is said in regard to
he cagle. and is equally erroneous. The lion
10 is believe. as little scrupulous as any
,;Iler cat in this particular. have told you
now the tirer captures and kills his prev.
u tel dea,l. ii the BODY be convenient to his
covert. he lets it remain; if it be too far out
a the open il is dragged further toward the
iuDrls and there lies until dawn. Some
Lines the body is disembowled after being
,e.nove.l n little way, and is then drawn
away to some hidden spot. A tiger has been
s..n TO disemlowel goat, holding it by the
-.,roa:. living on its back underneath the
,o.ly and ripping it open by repeated kicks