: - 



FEL1 



IT.I.ID.S. 



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as the leopard and the panther, it form and colouring, aa distinguished 

 from the other great cats, were u well and familiarly known to that 

 people. 



Pliny, in bin chapter ' De Atlantis Arboribus et Cedrinis Mensis, 

 Ac. (' Nat. Hist,' xiii. 15), p<king of the grain or pattern of these 

 table*, tays that where it wa oblong or lengthened, they were ealle.l 

 tigrine, but where it was wreathed or curled (intorto), they were 

 termed panthrrine. 



The pictorial evidence (no to speak) wfb furnished by the mosaic 

 found at Rome near the arch of Gallienua. In this work of art, 

 executed not improbably in commemoration of the exhibition of 

 Claudius abore noticed, four Royal Tigers, each devouring hU prey, 

 are well represented. 



Our zoological societies and menagerie* hnre so increased in 

 number during a long "period of peace, that it becomes almost 

 superfluous to describe a form so well known. But as a description 

 of an animal holding so important a rank in the animal kingdom mny 

 be expected, we select tlmt of Hr. Bennett, wbo remarks that the 

 Tiger, closely allied to the Lion in SUM, in power, in external form, in' 

 internal structure, in zoological character*, in prowling habits, and in 

 sanguinary propensities, is at once distinguished from it, and from 

 every other of their common genus, by the peculiar markings of its 

 coat. " On a ground which exhibits in different individuals various 

 shades of yellow," says Mr. Bennett, " he is elegantly striped by n 

 series of transrerse black bands or bars, which occupy the Rides of his 

 head, neck, and body, and are continued upon bin tail in the form of 

 rings, the last of the series uniformly occupying the extremity of that 

 organ, and giving it a black tip of greater or less extent The under 

 parts of his body and the inner sides of his legs are almost entirely 

 white ; be has no mane ; and his whole frame, though less elevated 

 than that of the lion, is of a slenderer and more graceful make. His 

 head U also shorter and more rounded." 



There is a ]*ler variety, almost approaching to whitish, and with 

 the stripes visible only in particular lights : this has been exhibited in 

 this country. According to Du Halde, the Chinese Tiger (Lou-chu, 

 or Lau-hu) varies in colour, some being white, striped with black and 



g*T- 



The size of the Tiger varies also ; but the dimensions of the form, 

 when fully developed, are, if we are to give credit to gome accounts, 

 the veracity of which has not been impugned, most formidable. 

 Buflbn notices an individual which was (tail included) 15 feet long; 

 and it is on record that Hyder AH presented to the Nijbob of Arcot 

 one which measured 18 feet in length. The average height varies 

 from about four feet to about three feet, and the length from about 

 eight or nine feet to six feet. 



The Tiger is met with in Asia alone, and not in the south of Africa, 

 as BuflTon erroneously states ; but authors generally agree that the 

 Tiger is now rarely, if ever, met with on this side of the Indus. It is 

 said to be found in the deserts which separate China from Siberia, 

 and as far as the banks of the Oby ; and in the south of China, and 

 the larger East Indian Islands (Sumatra, for instance), it is common. 

 Pennant states that it U found as far north as China and Chinese 

 TarUry, and about Lake Aral and the Altaic Mountains. " It inhabits 

 Mount Ararat," says the same author in continuation, "and Hyrcania, 

 of old famous for its wild beasts; but tbe greatest numbers, the 

 largest, and the most cruel, are met with in India and its islands. In 

 Sumatra the natives are so infatuated that they seldom kill them, 

 having a notion that they are animated by the souls of their ancestors. 

 They are the scourge of the country ; they lurk among the bushes on 

 the sides of rivers, and almost depopulate many places. They are 

 insidious, blood-thirsty, and malevolent, and seem to prefer preying 

 on the human race." Hindustan may be considered the head-quarters 

 of this destructive animal ; there it is that he reigns unawed even by 

 the lion, with which he disputes the mastery, and which is compara- 

 tively rare in that peninsula. 



Tbe bound with which the ambushed tiger throws himself upon 

 his prey is as wonderful in its extent as it is terrible in its effects. 

 Pennant justly observes that the distance which it clears in this 

 deadly leap is scarcely credible. Man is a mere puppet in his gripe ; 

 and the Indian Buffalo is not only borne down by tbe ferocious beast, 

 but carried off by his enormous strength. If he fails, it has been said 

 that be makes off. This may be true in certain instances, but in 

 general he does not slink away, but pursues the affrighted prey with 

 a tpeedy activity which is seldom exerted in vain. This leads us to 

 the observation of Pliny celebrating its swiftness, for which the 

 Roman zoologist has been censured, most unjustly, apparently ; nor is 

 he the only author among the ancients who notices its speed. Oppian 

 (' Cyneg.,' i. 323) speaks of the swift tigers u being the offspring 

 (prrtAif) of the |>nyr. "Pliny," says Pennant, "has been frequently 

 taken to tA.k by the modem* for railing the tiger " animal trcmendtc 

 velocltatis ;" they allow it great agility in its bounds, but deny it 

 swiftness in pursuit. Two travellers of authority, both eye-witnesses, 

 confirm what Pliny says : the one indeed only mentions in general 

 vast fleetaesi ; the other saw a trial between one and a swift hone, 

 whose rider escaped merely by getting in time amidst a circle of 

 armed men. Tbe chase of this animal was a favourite diversion with 

 the great Cam-Hi, the Chinese monarch, in whose company our 

 countryman, Mr. Bell, that faithful traveller, and the Pcre 



(u-rhillon, saw these proofs of the tiger's speed." Bell's ' Travels,' 

 Hi, 1 1 aide. 



In the ' 'EraTOKraT, seu Ccnturia Imaginum HieroRlyphicarum ' 

 ' I > I .c. xxiii.) is a wood-cut (here copied) thU may refer to such a 



Tiger pursuing a nun on horseback. 



Ferocious as the tiger is, and much as it may deserve the odium 

 heaped upon it, the general chorus of the herd of authors who eulogise 

 "the courage, greatness, clemency, and generosity" of the lion, con- 

 trasting it with the unprovoked ferocity, unnecessary cruelty, and 

 poltroonery of the tiger, becomes ridiculous, though led by 

 names aa Buffbn and Pennant. The lion bos owed a good deal to bis 

 mane and his noble and dignified aspect ; but appearances are not 

 always to be trusted. Mr. Barrow, with much more truth, charac- 

 terises the king of beasts aa powerful but treacherous. "Happy," 

 says that traveller, " for the peasantry, the Hottentots, that those 

 animals that are t: ^riietion, were its noble ami 



generous nature, that BO oft has fired tin ii 



and that his royal paw disda::. t' in the blood of any 



sleeping creature ! Tin- '.is one of the. most indolent of 



all the beasts of prey, ami never gives himself the trouble of a pursuit 

 unless bard pressed l>y hunger." 



Pennant gives the following as an instance, after stating that there 

 is a sort of cruelty in the devastations of the tiger unknown to the 

 generous lion, as well as poltroonery in its sudden retreat on any 

 disappointment: "1 was inl'.inmd liy very pood authority, that ill 

 the beginning of this century some gentlemen and ! L; on a 



party of pleasure under the shade of trees, on the banks of a. river in 

 Bengal, observed a tiger preparing for its fatal spring; one of the 

 ladies, with amazing presence of mind, laid hold of an umbn lla 

 and furled it full in the animal's face, which instantly retired, and 

 gave the company an opportunity of removing from so terrible a 

 neighbour." 



This is a very pretty story, and the heroine deserves all praise, 

 though it is not very clear what is meant by furling an umbrella, so 

 as to make the alleged act square with the context, and the tip 

 undoubtedly very polite. But tigers spring from a considerable 

 distance, 15 or 20 feet, and from ambush ; and we suspect t hat a 

 cross-examination of the parties concerned might have slightly damaged 

 the anecdote. Granting however that this bold lady walked up to a 

 crouched tiger, and suddenly opened an umbrella in its face (for that, 

 we presume, is the action meant), we may easily conceive that the 

 surprise may have utterly confounded him : but this is not poltroonery. 

 Indeed the same author immediately afterwards gives a tolii.il>i< 

 proof of the animal's daring : "Another party bad not. the same 

 good fortune : a tiger darted among them while they were at diimri , 

 seized on one gentleman, carried him off, and he never was moru 

 heard of." 



But there is another story, a very sad one, which is pregnant with 

 proof of the tiger's hardihood ; we allude to the distressing diMth "| 

 Sir Hector Monro's son. Mr. Wood ('/oogranhy') relates the horrible 

 occurrence in a few words : 



" This unfortunate gentleman," says Mr. Wood, " accompanied by 

 three of his friends, went on shore, December -.;.!, 17'.'2. on .*- 

 Island to shoot deer. They continual their sport till the afternoon, 

 when they retired to the edge of a jungle to refresh themselves; 

 where they had not remained long before one of tbe party, who was 

 leaving the rest to shoot a deer, heard a dreadful roar, and saw a large 

 tiger spring on poor Monro, and rush with him into the jungle with 

 the greatest ease, dragging him through everything that obsti 

 his course, as if all were made to yield to his amazing strength. All 

 that his companions could do to rescue' their friend from this shocking 

 situation was to fire at the tiger ; and it is evident that their shots took 

 place, since, in a few minutes after, Mr. Monro staggered up to them 

 covered with blood, and fell. Kvery medical assistance that tbe ship 

 afforded was procured for him immediately, but in vain ; be expired 

 in the course of twenty-four hours in the greatest agonies. His head 

 was torn, his skull fractured, and bis neck and shoulders covered with 

 wounds made by the claws of the savage beast. It is worthy of 

 observation, that neither the large fire that was blazing close to them, 

 nor the noise and laughter which it seems they were making at the 

 time, could divert this determined animal from bis purpose." This 

 story may be contrasted with the one related by Sparrman, and 

 referred to above, of the lion retreating when boldly confronted, and 



