306 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



SYNONYMS: Felis (Tigris} tigris septentrionalis Satunin (1904); Felix tigris 



trabata Schwarz, 1916. 

 FIGS.: Heck, Lebende Bilder, p. 157, 1899; Kennion, 1911, pi. facing p. 251; 



Pocock, 1929, pi. D, lower fig., pi. 3; Ognev, 1935, figs. 121-124. 



While the Indian or Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris x ) prob- 

 ably exacts a greater annual toll in human lives than any other 

 carnivorous mammal, some of its races in western, central, and 

 eastern Asia and in the Malay Archipelago conflict to a far less 

 degree with the interests of mankind. In any event, their numbers 

 have been reduced to a point where they are entitled to a place 

 in the present work. 



The Caspian race is "generally a medium sized or smallish tiger 

 with a thick longish winter coat, dark in colour, with numerous, 

 close-set stripes showing a marked tendency to brownness on the 

 whole or parts of the body." Length of male, about 10 feet 8 inches; 

 of female, about 8 feet 6 inches. (Pocock, 1929, pp. 522, 540.) 



The range of this Tiger extends from Transcaucasia (formerly) 

 through northern Persia to northern Afghanistan; presumably the 

 same form occurs northward to the Aral Sea and Lake Balkash in 

 Russian Turkestan (formerly to the upper Ob Basin and the Altai 

 region) . 



Transcaucasia. "A few are annually killed in Turkish Georgia" 

 (Blyth, 1863, p. 182). 



Satunin reports (1906, pp. 308-309) as follows on the Tigers of 

 Talish: 



At the time of Radde's first expedition to Lenkoran in 1866 Tigers 

 were still very numerous there. In seven weeks six fresh skins were 

 offered him. But in 1879-80, in the course of eight months, he 

 could not secure a single fresh skin. Tigers still occurred, but were 

 very rare. According to the hunters' reports, the animals were quite 

 extirpated somewhat later, but in the 90's they began to increase, 

 and at the time of my expedition (1897-99) two to four specimens 

 were taken annually. At present they occur chiefly in the Prisib 

 district of Lenkoran, both in the lowland forests and in the foot- 

 hills. In 1899 Tiger tracks were found on the Mugan Steppe, where 

 the animal had gone apparently in pursuit of Wild Boars. 



Satunin also expresses here the conviction that the numerous 

 reports of Tigers in other localities of Transcaucasia are due to 

 a confusion of this species with the Leopard. In a previous paper 

 (1896, pp. 289-290) he had stated that they occurred formerly as 

 far as the ridge of the Great Caucasus, and he had quoted Nord- 

 mann's report of Tigers killed near Tiflis in 1835. The species is 

 now exterminated in Transcaucasia (W. G. Heptner, in litt., Decem- 

 ber, 1936). 



i Fells tigris Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, p. 41, 1758. (Bengal.) 



