PERSIA 
moved further down the hill and was half hidden in high grass. To make a 
long story short I wounded him, and after following the blood a long way 
through very disagreeably long stuff lost him. The tiger shot was a heavy, 
short-tailed beast, and would certainly have been accounted a big tiger 
in India, and the other seemed as big. In Curzon’s “Persia,” tigers of 
“ gigantic size ” are spoken of as found in the Caspian provinces. My 
Persian tiger’s coat, shot in October, had about the same length of hair 
as a good “ Christmas ” tiger in India, and the colour was similar. Another 
tiger skin I saw from this country was much tawnier in colour, and the 
stripes duller. I was told at Rowland Ward’s establishment that my 
Persian skull was a little broader than an Indian skull. 
Now whether I was unusually lucky in seeing these tigers it is difficult 
to say. I do not think any other of the not large number of sportsmen who 
have visited the country have so much as seen one. They are reported by 
the country people to be plentiful, both in the forest and in the reed beds 
below the forest, but this, of course, goes for nothing. It would be very 
difficult to make a bandobast for tigers after the Indian method. Apart 
from the initial difficulty of finding animals to tie up, I cannot imagine a 
tiger coming to a tied-up pony or goat — and it would be difficult to get 
anything else — on account of the swarms of pig in the place. However, 
tying up might be tried, and a shooting trip with tiger the chief object 
would be a very interesting one. I am inclined to think the best time for 
such an expedition would be in winter, when the jungle would be bare 
And snow on the ground, for tigers might then be tracked. It is possible, 
however, that the snow drives most of the tigers into the reeds, where 
they would be very difficult to circumvent. My shikari, however, said 
that they remained in the forest and could be tracked, and the tip is 
therefore given for what it is worth. It is what I would try for myself if I 
contemplated another visit to this country. 
Though it is impossible in the space at my disposal to attempt any- 
thing in the nature of a guide to those who would visit Persia for sport, 
I will conclude this chapter by indicating very roughly the districts where 
the different kinds of game may be met with. But a word first as regards 
season. The summer is very hot and animals lie up all day in places where 
it is very difficult to find them. The dry parts are not unhealthy at this 
season, but the heat makes shooting a toil. In the Caspian provinces it is 
feverish in summer. The winter is therefore best for everything except 
deer, for which, of course, the rutting season is the time. 
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