Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-08
ABOUT THE TIGER.
The Home and Habits OF rhSs Fer>uSsuu
Animal.

Animal.
THE COUSIN OF THE LroN-rHx RAyAoxs or
THE TIGER IN NDrA-sroarks or xxraxux
COURAGE AND covAADIck
THERE Is ONLY ONE SPECIES OF TIGER
II properly so called, although there are ouits
number OF tgerine cats, but the royal tiger Felis
tgris) was first known 10 the ancients q Il vss
taken in the vicinity Of the Tgris river, and hsnce
the name "tisris," which occurs in the earliest
Greek and Latin writings when referring TO this
animal, and "Hyrcania, with which IL II 20
frequently associated by the Roman writer's, d
locality well suited TO wha. We know nov Of
its geographical distribution: and in connection
with what we today think and know about
tigers, it Is interesting TO turn back ana note
what they said about them more than 2.ooo
years ago.
The tiger" writes Pliny NAT Hist, viii,
1S) lis produced in Hyrcania and India ="
He describes its tremendous swiftness" and
alludes at length TO the strong attachment
which the tigress manifests for her cuba He
finds that the Indian country abounds in wild
tigers. and be does not omit that rash fable Of
the origin of Indian dogs from the tiger, speak
ing IN detail Of the rejection Of the first two
ht'ers as being 80 utterly ferocious ~ to be un-
tamable, but the third litter was carefully
watched Tor and taken up.
ROMAN EXHIBITIONS.
But most interesting are his descriptions Of
the manner in which the beast was exhibited In
Rome in his time. in which he gives as full evil
dence that he knew the difference between Il
and leopards and panthers After mentioning
the last two and referring to an ancient decree
of the senate that African beasts should not be
imported, but that the tribune Cneius Anfidius
caused plebiscitum 10 be passed which per-
mitted their importation for the Circensian
games, he gives the numbers first brought BY
Scaurus, and then by Pompey the Great and
Augustus, adding that Augustus the first
to show TO the public a tame tigress (''tigrin")
in den at Rome; this done BY him during
the dedication OF the theaser Of Marcellus
while q. Tubero and Fabius Maxirnus were con-
suls also that late the Emperor Claudius showed
four together The Emperor Philip on one occa-
sion exhibited ten tigers together with thirtvtwo
elephants, ten moose, sixty lions. thirty
leopards, ten hyenas, one hippopotamus, one
rhinoceros, forty wild horses, twenty Wild asses
| and numbers of deer. goats antelopes and other
beasts. This brutal exhibition was crowned BY
the mortal combat OF 1000 gladiators! Gordian
III also showed ten tigers and they we're present
in the shows Of Antoninus and Elagabalus
Aurelian In his triumph over Zenobia exhibited
four splendid animals.
The Latin poets abound with illusions 70 the
tigris, which in most all instances refer to the
serves them well
WHERE HE ABoUNDs.
The tiger is met with in Asia alone; Il IL not
found in Africa or the new world; it il rarely
ever found west of the Indus but in the vast
deserts which separate China from Siberia. %
far north the banks Of the Obi and the
Amoor, and in the south OF China and the
larger East Indian Islands (Sumatra, for in
stance, IL is common; but Hindoostan Is the
headquarters of this destructive animal
and there IL reigns supreme. Strange
rs it may seem, the finest, largest tigers
are those taken in the northern parts Of
China, on and about the Arioor river. where
a boreal winter prevails seven months Of every
year. The idea Of an animal which il confined
to the tropical jungles Of India, where heat and
moisture prevail all through the year; the idea
of finding examples Of its klnd-and the finest
Ones too-in the chilly steppes Of Manchuria
and Siberia is an odd one, but it is true never
theless.
The loss of human life. however, which these
! beasts infiict every year in the great British
| Indian empire is appalling. The English esti-
| mates, which have been made with great care
during the last fifty years. in the series of local
| reports established by the official precincts Of
that extended region declare that an average
Of 5000 people, men, women and children, have
| been and ere annually destroyed by tigers. OF
course these people are not Of the stamina of
4
and most Of them, indeed all of them,
| wholly unarmed, they offer to Q tiger
| no more resistance than q goat or calf
would, and were il not for the fact
| that the British officers and settlers make II q
point to visit those localities where the man.
eating tiger appears for the purpose Of killing
| ii, these figures of human slaughter, large a.
they now are, would be trebled or quadrupled
annually. In Sumatra the natives seldom kill
| a tiger being possessed OF the absurd idea thai
| the bodies of these animals are animated by the
souls Of their ancestors.
| COURAGE.
One OF the most extraordinary features Of the
tigers nature is the extreme courage and the
ultra cowardice which seems to be 80 blended
as to give rise to the strongest expressions of
difference of opinion when two or more sx-
perienced hunters are gathered together. The
best illustration Of this popularity Of that giant
cat of Bengal can be given in the recitation of
! the following stories of actual occurrences;
As for extreme courage: December %, 1872
party of English hunters set out for Sawgar
Island, Bay of Bengal, for the double purpose
OF killing tigers and deer. Their equipment
and experience was ample, and the party Of
four was headed by q son Of Sir Hector Mon
roe. These gentlemen landed in the morning,
hunted with success for deer all day, until about
four in the afternoon, the heat caused them to
seek the shade at the edge Of the jungle. They
| for cooking their game.
While the meal was under full headway of
preparation young Monroe looked up and de-
clared that he saw deer not far from them.
he seized his gun and started for the spot.
Had not taken twenty steps from the camp
when his companions heard q dreadful roar,
saw at the same instant q large tiger spring
upon poor Monroe, and, Selling the man by
the shoulder with its teeth, the beast turned
and rushed back into the jungle. dragging the
form of Monroe after il with the greatest ease
saplings, vines and small bushes all bent and
broke before the amazing strength Of the tiger.
All that Monroe's companions could do Wa
done instantly, as only trained hunters can do
they fired all together at the tiger, and ID was
evident to them that their shots took effect, be-
| cause almost as soon the smoke blew aside
| Monroe came staggering out from the thicket
| covered with blood, reached the campfire and
| fell. Everything that medical services could
| render was done for him, the ships surgeon
| coming right ashore. but IL was al IN vain; the
| young man expired after the course of twenty
| four hours in the greatest agony. His bead
was torn, his skull fractured and bis neck and
shoulders chewed and torn by the teeth and
| claws Of the savage beast. Here was Q squad
| of men standing around Q blazing IRE, talking,
laughing, and yet, though In broad daylight, all
this was not enough to divert that determined
tiger from making the attack, and thas bound
| with which this ambushed animal threw itsslf
| upon Monroe was wonderful In It's extent o.
| 1t was terrible in its effect
Az for ;fe couordico. IN the savoa A. xhax xba