The Tiger 



The geographical range of the tiger extends from 

 the Caucasus through Northern Persia, India, Assam, 

 Burma, and the Malay Peninsula to the Malay Islands, 

 China, Manchuria, Amurland, and Korea. The species 

 is, however, absent from Ceylon ; and since there is 

 geological evidence to prove that the latter island was 

 connected at no very remote epoch with the mainland 

 of the peninsula, there is strong presumptive evidence 

 that the tiger is a comparatively recent immigrant from 

 the north or east into India itself. Another inference 

 is that the Palk Strait, separating Cape Comorin from 

 Ceylon, is beyond the ordinary swimming powers of 

 the tiger. In India tigers are found from Cape 

 Comorin to the Himalaya, ascending in the latter 

 range to an elevation of about 7000 feet above 

 sea-level ; but they are unknown in Afghanistan and 

 Baluchistan. 



There is considerable variation in the richness of 

 the ground-colour of the fur of Indian tigers, and 

 occasionally specimens are niet with in which the 

 colour is creamy buff, with the stripes only showing 

 somewhat darker in certain lights ; but in most in- 

 stances there is no information whether these white 

 tigers were true albinos. 



A white tiger was exhibited alive at Exeter Change 

 about 1820; a second was killed at Poona about 1892 ; 

 in March 1899 a white tiger was shot in Upper Assam 

 and the skin sent to Calcutta, where a fourth specimen 

 was received about the same time. The Maharaja of 

 Kuch-Behar also possesses a white tiger- skin. In 

 regard to the third specimen, the property of Mr. W. J. 

 Consadine, Major H. G. C. Swayne wrote as follows : 

 — " The colour of the skin is like that of a polar bear, 

 with the faintest lines to indicate stripes. The ground- 

 colour is bright creamy white, exactly like a polar 

 bear ; the darker lines, representing stripes, are about 

 the dull white of a rather dirty white cat which has 

 been out all night on the roof." 



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