VARIETIES OF THE TIGER AND LEOPARD. 55 



ferocity, is scarcely a fair example, as he was 

 caught, when fully grown, on the estate of the 

 Earl of Seafield, and except in rare instances the 

 naturally savage propensities of these beasts are 

 seldom materially overcome when the adult animal 

 is transferred from a state of freedom to one of 

 captivity. The four young tigers in the collection 

 are extremely tame and affectionate towards their 

 keeper, who has great skill in gaining the affection 

 of the dangerous carnivora under his charge. They 

 are in excellent health and condition, and bid fair 

 to become noble specimens of their race. One of 

 the tigresses has an unusual number of stripes, 

 and in general depth of tint appears to resemble 

 the skin " Zoophilus " mentions as having seen at 

 Mr. Ward's. 



I am greatly interested in the question of dis- 

 tinct species, or rather varieties, among the tiger 

 and other large Felidse. The tigers of the Altai 

 mountains and Oriental Siberia appear to be much 

 longer furred than those inhabiting the warmer 

 portions of Asia. Even if not a separate variety, 

 they present considerable distinctions, a friend 

 having recently informed me that he had seen 

 one of these skins, coming, I believe, from the 

 Trans- Baikal region. He describes the fur as re- 

 sembling that of an Angora cat in length. The 

 colour was peculiarly light and the stripes indistinct, 



