TIGERS. 



199 



ladies, and lying within a few hours" travel of Fuchow, 

 stories of tigers are plentiful, and in July 1897 a beautifully 

 marked young tigress was shot there. She measured seven 

 feet eleven inches, and weighed 205 lb. The year 1894 was 

 a record year for tiger finds. A young one was caught alive 

 on the hills near Canton, the lucky owner wanting $100 for 

 it. though it weighed only about 20 catties. About the same 

 time two full-grown ones were shot within two miles of the 

 British boundary of Kowloon. During 1895, tigers were 

 reported on the Ta-lung Shan near Nanking, where it was 

 said that oxen, deer, and boars were killed and eaten by them. 



These records, all comprised within a period of less than 

 a quarter of a century, and taken hap-hazard, help to prove 

 that tigers are very widely spread throughout the Chinese 

 Empire. Unfortunately there has been no Selous, Blanford, 

 or Sanderson to do for China what they have done for Africa 

 and India, and the consequence is that there is more igno- 

 rance than exact knowledge of the condition of China with 

 respect to big game generally, and tigers in particular. It 

 is a great pity that it should be so but, of course, the diffi- 

 culties are considerable. India is as safe from human attack 

 as an English country, almost, whilst in really savage Africa 

 men took their defence into their own hands. China is not 

 altogether safe, especially during periods of special anti- 

 foreign feeling, and hunters would not dream of carrying 

 out their sport at the expense of war. But it would be an 

 excellent thing if some young Manchu or Chinese gentle- 

 men with sufficient influence could arrange hunting excur- 

 sions into the wilder parts of the Empire as a whole and 

 take with them some English gentlemen and naturalists 

 in order that our knowledge of the fauna of the country 

 might be added to. As it is, I know of no book dealing ade- 

 quately with the subject of the mammalia of the Chinese 

 Empire. Richard's "Comprehensive Geography" is the 

 most authentic that I am acquainted with, but its knowledge 

 is the knowledge of missionaries and travellers rather than 

 of hunters and trained naturalists. In all probability there 

 are very few of the provinces of China which, if properly 

 examined in the most likely districts, would not provide 

 ample reward, and very few indeed in which at one time or 

 another "Mr. Stripes" would not be found at home. 



The term "royal" as applied to the tiger, may possibly 

 have been suggested by China, where the people know him 

 as the king or prince of the cat tribe ovx'ing to the character 

 3E (icaiiif) which is to be seen on his forehead. His appear- 

 ance is too well known to need description, but only those 

 who have had close experience in hunting him can tell of the 

 wondrous perfection of his protective colouring. I remember 



