The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-23
FIERCE SIBERIAN TIGERS.
They Are Found In Plenty on Manchuria'i
Borders.

What do you think of this for a tiger
skim" said the manager of the fur
store. He had been showing to a New
York u reporter some tiger skins
from India. Several of these were very
large, measuring IL feet in length. The
skin that he now spread out on the
floor was fully II feet long and broad
in proportion. Not only in size. but In
other respects, IL differed from the skins
he had shown before. On the East In
dian skins the hair was short and fine,
the stripes of black were sharply de-
ined upon a yellow ground, giving a
splendid appearance. On the skin now
shown the hair was long and thick,
having somewhat the character Of fur:
the colors were dulIer. the yellow being
pale. the black markings less vividly
defined than In the Indian skins.
1T is the skin of a Monaghan tiger"
the manager resumed. Monaghan Is
the trade name which we apply to all
tiger kin that come from China n
regions beyond to the north. / happen
to know the history Of this one. 1t
came from Siberia. 1t sounds strange
to you. no doubt, that there should be
tigers in that bleak part of the world
where you rather woul look for wolves
and Russian bears. 1t was strange to
me when / was new I'm the business,
but me n out many queer things
i'm the fur trade Some of the biggest
skins that we receive come from there.
You understand, when you think of Ii,
that Siberia is a very big region and IL
stretches from the Arctic ocean very far
to the south. II is in the Amoor valley
the valley of the great river that di-
vides the Russian province OF Amoor
from Manchuria-that the Siberian tig-
ers are found. The climate there is no
colder than i'm New York and the tigers
find shelter in the forest m dense cane
thickets along the river banks.
Through the summer the Amoor
tigers are shy. and usually keep well
away from the ~habitations of men.
There is an abundance of deer. wild
pigs and other game for them to prey
on at hat season. II Is i'm the winter
that the tiger is most to be feared by
man. Then he finds IL harder to Sc
cure food In the forest. n he ecomes
r~avenous.
There are native hunters on the
Amoor who, like the East Indian shik-
aries. make a business of hunting the
tiger for his skin. using guns, traps and
poison for the purpose. This skin was
obtained in another way. The gentle
man who brought this here to be mount
ed Is an American who bought 1t in
Vladivcstock. In Siberia. and the trader
who sold II to him told him the story
Vi the way IN WHICH tine Tiger WIS kliltu.
ION the AMOR river. about 300 miles
back from Nladlvostock. is the town Of
Moro Tchestra. a place of some import
ance on the frontier. Twenty miles be-
low Is a native village. with some I'M
pronounceable name little hamlet Of
about 20 houses lying near the river.
with wood and zane jungle all about II.
IL was in midwinter. after snow had
lain IN the ground for some weeks, that
the tiger began to come to the village
from time 60 time by night and kill a
COW or a sheep. That was bad enough.
but presently he carried off an old man.
and the week afterward a girl.
Some people saw him and told great
stories of how big he was. and the size
of the tracks he left i'm the snow backed
up their statements. The will gers felt
that they were not equal to dealing with
him. and they sent a d~epu;ation to the
officers ~ the garrison at gov Tches-
ira. asking them to get up a hunting
party TO come cut and XIII the tiger.
That was good enough sport for them,
n our officers. with 10 or IL private
soldiers 10 act as heaters. came to the
village next day. With them was an
Englishman named Norris. who CHANGED
to be staying at Nov TchestTa. They
brought with them a pack Of Russian
be~arhounds to use at a pinch. although
h would have been the same thing as
killing them outright TO Sc; them after