The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-09-02

When the animal is fairly measured, with
out stretching, the average length from
point of nose to tip of tail is nine feet six
inches. This is seldom exceeded by more
than few inches. One tiger, when meas
ured by Sir Samuel, proved to be nine
feet seven inches long, but the hide, when
cured, was eleven feet four inches in length.
The strength of the tiger is also exag
gerated in the popular conception. Thus
it is often asserted that this animal can
lift and carry off a COW simply through the
power of its jaws and neck This notion
is pronounced preposterous. Extremely
small as are the cattle of India, their
height exceeds that of the tiger, and,
therefore, cows body must drag on the
ground. As the weight of an ordinary
native COW is just about that of the aver
age tiger (three hundred and fifty to four
hundred pounds, the latter can, Of course,
drag its own weight by lifting its victims
body partially in its mouth and thus les
seniug the friction on the surface Of the
soil. 1t is mistake to suppose that any
tiger Except the so-called man -eaters) at
tacks man with the intention of eating him,
as natural prey. The greater number of
accidents are oecasioDed by tigers which
have no idea of making meal of their
victims, and which, as matter of fact,
leave uneaten the men that they have
killed. They are usually prompted by the
instinct of self-defense. Even the man
eater, which is usually an old and cow
ardly tiger, or more commonly tigress, at
tacks men not so much because Of any ac-
quired preference for human flesh, as be-
cause it is easier to kill a native villager
than to hunt for the scarce jungle game.
The difficulty experienced in killing man
eater is due, not to any superiority of cour-
age over other tigers, but on the contrary,
to its exceptional cunning and caution. 1t
is sneak thief.
OF the chapter devoted by Sir Samuel
to the various species of leopards, by far
the most interesting sections relate to the
cheetah, or hunting leopard, which in In
dia and Persia has from time immemorial
been tanned and trained for the purpose of
hunting deer and antelopes. This animal
is entirely different from other leopards,
having long legs, a light body, long neck,
small head and large and piercing eyes.
The cheetah is generally admitted to be
the fastest animal in the world, being able
to overtake, on open ground, the black
buck, which surpasses in speed the high
est-bred English greyhound. 1t may be
kept about house with comparatively
safety, as it seldom attacks domestic animals
but confines its attention to the beasts
of tho plain and forest, The domes-
ticated cheetahs that Sir Samuel has
seen were as gentle as dogs. When game
is expected, therefore, this animal is con-
veyed to the scene of the hunt in cart,
seated on the outside Of his cage beside
his master who has his arm around him.
He is blinded by . hoad, like . falcon, and
sits upright, like dog, waiting for his
eyes to be uncovered. After n successful
hunt, the cheetah is allowed to lap guam
tity of fresh blood, from a wooden ladle.
This ladle, consequently, has for him the
same attraction as ''lure" for falcon or
a sieve Of oats for horse by shpWingit
to him you can recover the cheetah when
he is disobedient to call,
There is marked difference between the
Indian rhinoceros, the "unicorn" of the an
clients, which has but one horn (less, on the
average, than eight inches long), and the
African rhinoceros, that has two horns, of
which the anterior pFotpberancei Is very long
and straight, The Ketioa, or black rhinoc
eros, which inhabits the country east of the
White Nile, from AbyssInia to near the
equator, is pronounced by Sir Samuel Ba-
ker the most ferocious of known animals.
1t will attack either man or beast without
the slightest provocation. The longest
anterior horp belonging to any of the black
rhinoceros shot by Sir Samuel himself
measured twenty=three inches. The speed
and the bottom exhibited by this animal
seem remarkable when its bulk is consid-
cred. The author Of this book has hunted
in company with Arabs, and although their
horses would go their best for at least two
miles, they would be unable to overtake
the rhinoceros before reaching an impene-
trable jungle. There is considerable dau-
ger in shooting this animal, owing to the
difficulty of stopping his charge. His
forehead is impenetrable, so tough and
thick Ia his skin that specially hardened
bullet Is preferred to one Of pure lead 1t
is said that a rhinoceros can kill an ele-
phant, and Sir Samuel deems this highly
probable if the former get an opportunity
Of striking the latter in the belly or the
flank. Otherwise, the African bull ele-
plant would win in such an encounter by
reason Of its superior weight and strength,
apd of the length and power Of its tusks.
Next to the elephant, the hagest beast
in point of bulk and weight is the hippo
potamus. OF this animal Sir Samuel
Baker has seen hundreds Of specimens on
the White Nile. One that he measured |
was fourteen feet three Inches long from
snout to tip of tail The crocodile never
ventures to attack the hippopotamus, which,