The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-03-10
POWER OF THE HUMAN EYE.

ly formulated, that there is something
so terrible and majestic in the human
eye that man has only to fix his gaze on
the most terrific denizens of the forest
to inspire them with awe. Numer-
Gus instances, and some we'll authen-
ticated, are on record of unarmed
men, who have met the lion or the
tiger in his native jungles, fixed their
eyes on his and compelled him to turn
tail.
There is, then, some foundation for
the popular belief, but if man hav-
ing unquestioned faith in the awe in
spring power of the human eye pro-
poses to put it to the test in his own
person, considerable discretion is to
be recommended, says Forest and
Stream, not only in the selection of !.
his locality. For example, he should
not make his fret experiment. .vith q
rampageous bull in a Io.acre field at
any considerable distance from the
fence nor would we strongly recon-
mend trip to the Rocky Mountains
with the object of experimenting with
a full grown grizzly for both bulls and
bears are fighting animals, and have
the babit of meeting their foes face to
face.
The measure is successful only with
the cat family-lions, tigers, &c., and
by no means to be relied upon with
them. Hope of success depends up
on the fact that the members of the
cat family are not to any extent fight
ing animals they do not hunt in
packs and quarrel over their prey
they very rarely quarrel with each
other over the females at mating sea-
son, and in striking their prey they
never attack in front.
1t is beautiful provision OF ma
ture that the lion, the tiger, the pan
ther, the leopard and the whole fam
lily of Felide, are prompted by ire
sistible instinct to seize their prey from
behind, spriuging on it with their
whole weight. closing their powerful
Jaws on the neck of their victim, and
dislocating it with one wrench, while
their fierce claws penetrate the flesh
and paralyze the muscular powers.
The tiger pursues the same method,
whether his prey is full grown buff
falo or ti1nid fawn.
The slender doe, with her fawn at
her heels, goes into cover for her
midday siesta, and confronts the
lurking tiger she barks, stamps her
foot an6 endeavors to bounce him;
the tiger fixing his eyes on hers,
crawls little nearer paralyzed with
terror the poor beast is incapable OF
flight, but unable to sustain the basi-
lisk glance any longer, she turns, as
if to essay retreat. At that instant
the tiger springs, grasps her neck in
his viselike jaws, and the victim dies
without pang.
If the tiger comes unexpectly on
powerful animal like wild buffalo
and it offers battle, the tiger declines
it, but if hungry he will take advan-
tage of what cover there is and man.
oeuvre to get at the tail end of the
buffalo and then make his fatal
spring.
With civilized men the tiger is
more wary, for he stands in more awe
of their appliances than of the brute
strength of the buffalo. Many a hun
ter going through the jungles has
passed within an easy spring of the
tiger lying in wait for him, and be-
fore he has gone another 200 yards
the same tiger has again been in po-
sition, and yet has wanted the cour-
age to sgring even man-eating
tiger, if familiar with firearms, might
hesitate to spring on man that had
the courage to confront him.
In the jungle he would not attempt
it if brought face to face with man
he would crouch, and if the man did
not turn to flee the tiger would dis
appear as suddenly as ifthe earth had
swallowed him, but in very few
minutes he would have secured the
desired vantage ground and made his
fatal spring.
This not because the tiger is COW.
ard nor because the human eye is
capable of dominating him. When
it becomes S a question of fighting
there is no sign of quailing in lion or
tiger, but when it is mere question
of taking their prey the destructive
instinct is purely pleasureable one
the enjoyment of which would be
marred if they attacked in front and
provoked their prey to battle; and it
is merciful provision of nature that
thew show no such tendency.