Lions are almost extinct in India, though there are still a few left in Guzerat and Kutch, and natives occasionally bring in reports of them in Central India; but the writer has not heard of one being shot in the last district for many years. The lion is a less active animal than the tiger, and apparently not so powerful; in every case of a fight between the two occurring in a menagerie the tiger has invariably killed his opponent.
Essentially a wanderer, the Indian lion avoids heavy forest as a rule, preferring sandy hills covered with thin scrub and grass, and may be tracked and shot on foot in a way that it would be foolhardiness to attempt with a tiger. There is a capital account of the sport given in the ‘Oriental Sporting Magazine,’ July 1876. The narrator came across four males, shot one that charged him brilliantly, wounded and lost a second, and missed a third.
Native shikaris declare that lions always put up for the day under the same bushes, and that consequently if there is a lion about he is generally easily found. It would be curious if African sportsmen could corroborate this story.
Unlike tigers, there is a large preponderance of males to females among full-grown lions, which is supposed to be attributable to the mortality among female cubs in teething.
Measurements
| Authority | Total length | Tail | Height at shoulder | Girth of chest | Weight | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ft. ins. | ins. | ins. | ins. | lbs. | ||
| Sterndale | 8 6 to 9 6 | 30 to 36 | 42 | .. | .. | |
| ” quoting Captain Smee | 8 9½ | .. | .. | .. | 490[16] (cleaned) | |
| ‘The Delhi Gazette’: a lion killed in Central India | 8 7 | 34 | 39 | 46 | .. | |
| ‘Oriental Sporting Magazine,’ July 1876 | 9 3 | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| African Lion | ||||||
| Rowland Ward, ‘Horn Measurements’ | .. | .. | .. | .. | 500 | F. C. Selous, ‘A Hunter’s Wanderings’ |
| ” | .. | .. | .. | .. | 563 | ‘The Field,’ July 13, 1890 |
| ” | .. | .. | .. | .. | 385 | J. S. Jameson |
IV. TIGER (Felis tigris)
The tiger is found throughout India wherever there is suitable jungle, and extends through Burmah to the Malayan Archipelago and China, but is not found in Ceylon. Sterndale says: ‘It has been found as far north as the island of Saghalien, which is bisected by N. L. 50°. This is its extreme north-eastern limit, the Caspian Sea[17] being its westerly boundary. From parallel 50° downwards it is found in many parts of the highlands of Central Asia.’
