Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-05-17
midas WILD ANIMALS.
Destruction They Wreak In a Yea,
In the Land of Jungles.
dany Hundreds of Human Beings a.
Well as Thousands Of Domestic AMI
mails Fsii Victims to Their Ra-
pseious Appetites.

When we consider that in the ten
years from 1877 10 1887, more than seven
thousand human beings and about one
hundred and sixty thousand cattle we're
killed in India by tigers alone. we get
an idea OF that beasts destructiveness,
which no single instance of it's ferocity
will supply
recent English writer has given the
above figures from the official returns to
the government; but there can be no
doubt that many are killed In that vast
country whose deaths are never re-
ported.
In addition TO the ravages of tigers,
leopards. hyenas, bears. wolves, ele-
phants and crocodiles kill many people
every year, while the victims OF the
deadly snakes seem rather to increase.
as they were 10, i50 in 1850 and 10. s40
In 1887. the last year for which returns
are given.
One reason for this is that many seets
of natives will not kill the cobra ca
pello. the most common and deadly
snake, which likes holes in old walls OF
gardens In the neighborhood of houses.
0ttap . native who discovers that
cobra s@takekMap It's abode on his
premiscaE%iil, f0TuKeligious-or, rather.
snpcrstitious reasons-propitiate il with
milk instead of killing it.
!. hut aside from snakes, the most de-
structive of wild things is the tiger
This animal seems quite familiar TO us
from the specimens seen in menageries;
and from repeated descriptions, and yet
as the writer we speak of says, there
are points about IL not generally known.
One is that while most of the cat kind
have vertical pupils 10 the eyes, the
pupil Of the tigers eye is round: and,
although its hearing and sight are most
acute, its sense of smell is very poor.
Its sense of touch seems particularly
we'll developed in the great wire-like
hairs about the nose, usually called
Whiskcrs in eat. These have very
sensitive bulb or root, which is full of
nsrves and surrounded by muscular
dbers which move them. and by which
they feel their way through the densest
Jungle ON the DARKEST night The tigers
immense muscular force is well known,
but many are not aware of the peculiar
Arrangement of the claws which arm It's
powerful limbs IL is evident that IL
they projected az they walked. these
sharp weapons would soon be blunted
and worn. They have five toes on each
forefoot and four toes ON the hindfeet.
and the claws of these are kept per-
manentlv turned back out of the way of
the tread by very elastic ligament
When the animal wants to use them
they are brought down by the tiexor
tendons the same which close the I'M
ge.s OF persons hand.
The tiger Is peculiar to Asia, and
while rather widely spread over that
great continent is, of course, most
plenty and attains its greatest size and
ferocity in the jungles of India proper
The largest tiger easily exceeds in size
and power the largest lion. The writer
says that he has seen tiger killed
which measured ten feet eight inches,
and he has known Of one or two which
measured twelve feet; hut this is the
extreme, and the tigress Is as a ruie,
smaller Sometimes, when tiger has
overcome its natural fear of the human
form, he finds IL easier To kill men than
cattle, deer or wild boar, and he then
becomes a man-eater This Is said To
be especially true OF old tigers, which
have lost their agility and whose teeth
and claws are worn. The writer We
have quoted mentions one tiger, near
Nynectal, which, for three years,
piowled within circuit OF twenty
miles. and killed an average OF eighty
persons each year. At the end of that
time IL was fortunately destroyed. On
such matters the natives often have
fatal apathy. and continue their usual
employment in the same places, while
the savage beast takes toll Of their num-
bers every feH days.
Sometimes a herd of cattle will form
in a circle and beat of the attack OF u
tiger. while their herdsman Is protected
by taking refuge inside. but often they
make no more resistance and take no
more precautions than sheep would do.
As a general thing. the tiger does not
roar like the lion. although there are
times when he does. lie usually emits
a peculiar deep growl when disturbed or
alarmed. which he repeats loudly and
rapidly a. he charges; and wounded
tiger with ears laid back, eyes glaring.
tanVS displayed and hair erect as he
charges with these hoarse. angry growls,
Is one of the most terrifying of Great
tres. and 1t requires much more than
ordinary nerve for the hunter, however
well armed. 10 then meet him.
1heir night-eall 70 each other Is a
tong. waiting howl. which j. particular
ly alarming. especially when first heard.
There are many European sportsmen.
as we'll as native hunters called shi1ar-
sits--who go long distances TO look fur
tigers which have acquired bad rep1-
tat.on. either from man-killing or carry
ing oh cattle.
Sometimes the creatures are shot from
elephants, being driven oui hy the ma
tiyes. with tom-tOms gongs and shouts:
Al ether times they are shot from stands
in trees near an animal placed as de-
coy. while few very llold aud expe-
rienced hunters encounter them ON foot.
The larger number. however. are cangnl