ive shikaris
say that the tiger kills the young ones if he finds them. The mother
is a most affectionate parent as a rule, and sometimes exhibits
strange fits of jealousy at interference with her young. I heard an
instance of this some years ago from my brother, Mr. H. B. Sterndale,
who, as one of the Municipal Commissioners of Delhi, took a great
interest in the collection of animals in the Queen's Gardens there.
Both tiger and leopard cubs had been born in the gardens, and the
mother of the latter shewed no uneasiness at her offspring being
handled by strangers as they crept through the bars and strayed
about; but one day, a tiger cub having done the same, the tigress
exhibited great restlessness, and, on the little one's return, in
a sudden accession of jealous fury she dashed her paw on it and killed
it. I am indebted to Mr. Shillingford for a long list of tigresses
with cubs killed during the years 1866 to 1880. Out of 53 cubs (18
mothers) 29 were males and 22 females, the sex of two cubs not being
given. This tends to prove that there are an equal number of each
sex born--in fact here the advantage is on the side of the males.
I have heard it asserted that tigresses are more common, and native
shikaris account for it by saying that the male tiger kills the cubs
of his own sex; but I have not seen anything to justify this assertion,
or the fact of there being a preponderance of females. Mr. Sanderson,
however, writes: "Male and female cubs appear to be in about equal
proportions. How it is that amongst mature animals tigresses
predominate so markedly I am unable to say."

Tigresses have young at all seasons of the year, and they breed
apparently only once in three years, which is about the time the cubs
remain with their mother.

For the following interesting memorandum I have to thank Mr.
Shillingford:--

Feet.
"Cubs one year old measure . . . . . . Males 4-1/2 to 5-1/2
Females 4 to 5
Ditto two years old . . . . . . . . . Males 5-1/2 to 7
Females 5 to 6-1/2
Ditto three years old . . . . . . . . Males 7 to 8-1/2
Females 6-1/2 to 7-1/2

"When they reach three years of age they lose their 'milk' canines,
which are replaced by the permanent fangs, and at this period the
mother leaves them to cater for themselves.