Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-02-26

| There are three kinds of tigers
in India, viz, game-killers, cattle
killers, and the dreaded man-eater.
In the Dooars and Terai districts of
Northern Bengal, tigers are very nu-
merous, and they do such incalcul-
able damage to the focks and herds
owned by the ryots (villagers) that
the Government of India has Offer
ed n reward of few rupees for every
tigers skull brought in to the Cut
cherry (courthouse). The skull is
then broken up, before an official, to
prevent its being presented a second
time.
| Tigers are timid creatures. and
will not attack a human being un-
less wounded or molested in any
way. They will invariably skulls off
into the solitudes of the jungles
rather than attack a human being.
This is easily explained. Tigers are
used to hunting game, they are ac-
customed to the sounds of the for
est. and to suddenly find themselves
confronted by human being, dress
ed in garments the very antithesis OF
the hairy skin of the animals he is
dependent upon for his daily food,
is, to say the least. startling.
During tie Monsoon months, IT,
gers as rule move into the up
lands or d.ier portions OF the jun
giles, in order to get away from the
foods and swamps. AS the game do
| likewis2, there Is an abundance OF
meat for him.
The act OF killing Is unique. Hav-
| ing taken up position near n wa
ter-ccursc or path where cattle and
game are wont to frequent, he
PUSHES upon the nearest one, and, by
clmching It's gorequarteIs, he seizes
tie throat in his powerful jaws. BY
| turning Itself upwards end over. an I
at the same time springing to the far
side In SO doing, the beast is thrown,
In which act It's neck is dislocated.
The Impact, coupled with the awful
wrench and bite, invariably breaks
the animal's neck outright, and all
this is done so quickly that the tiger.
II disturbed, is many yards away be-
fore the astonished cow-herds real
lie what has happened.
! When the Carcase, or "kill," as It
: Is termed, has been dragged under
ccYer, The tiger usually remains in
the vicinity If quiet prevails, and
dozes until well into the afternoon.
He approaches the Kill in a cir
cuitous manner, gradually diminish
ing the distance until he Is right
upon the carcase. Finding every
thing to his liking, he at once be-
gins his meal by eating about sixty
pounds of flesh the first night.
Tigers invariably begin upon the
HEADQUARTERS or the flesh of one or
both thighs. They drink copiously
during and nfter meal. They re-
main near their kill If the cover is
good and quiet prevails. They eat
whenever they feel Inclined till the
carcase is consumed, which is about
the third day.
! Irritation sometimes sets up at the
base Of their claws, due to fragments
of flesh lodging there and decompos-
ing. They remove this cause OF an
noyance by clawing the bark of the
bastard teak, which, when pune
tured, exudes blood-red sap. This
ats as an antiseptic and cleanser.
Tigrcsses do not breed at any fixed
time, and mot more often than once
In every two years. Two cubs as a
rule are produced at birth. When
they are sufficiently weaned, but not
quite old enough to eat freshly-kill-
ed meat, she feeds her cubs with
gobbets of half-digested meat, which
she disgorges These gobbets are
better adapted to the requirements
of her young. y
The average length of tiger at
maturity is about . feet 8 inches
from nose to tip G. tail Their
weight when full grown is about 800
to 400 pounds. AS a rule tigers kill
towards the evening, but may kill
cattle at any time throughout the
day.
There are several reasons which
induce tigers to become man-eaters,
such as when tigresses are unable to
procure food for their cubs They
lthon become desperate and attack
human h"ine5. Again, the infirmi-
ties OF old age often cause tiger
10 become n man-eater, as the older
beasts are unable to follow game.
Few young tigers become man-eut-