Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/781

 TIGER FLOWER }rt and rounded, body cylindrical, limbs very robust, tail very full and long, and fur thick and soft; it is ashy or brownish gray, with irregular spots and bands of velvety blackness arranged longitudinally and unbroken along the back; border of mouth black, and feet gray. It is a native of Sumatra, and lives much on trees, hence called tree tiger; the food consists of birds and the smaller deer ; it is not very common, and not dangerous. The animal commonly called tiger cat by the fur- riers has been described under SERVAL. Other tiger cats are F. minuta and F. Diardi, both inhabiting the islands of the Malay archipela- go, and F. Nepalensis, inhabiting the Himalaya mountains. TIGER FLOWER, a species of tigrldia, both names referring (from Lat. tigris, a tiger) to the spotted flowers. It is a Mexican genus bulb-bearing plants, belonging to the iris family; the long sword-like leaves are much plaited, and the stems, about 2 ft. high, produce a succes- sion of large and very showy but ephemeral flow- ers. The flowers, 5 or 6 in. across, have three very large outer divi- sions with a con- cave base, and to- gether form a cup ; the three in- ner divisions are smaller and fid- dle-shaped. The species in cultiva- tion are T. pa- wnia, having rich rlet flowers variegated with bright yellow id spotted with black, and T. conchiflora, orange and yellow with black spots ; there are garden varieties of both, differing in the depth of color and markings. Their cultivation is very simple ; the bulbs are planted in any good garden soil after cold rains are over, and taken up at the first frosts, dried, and kept until spring where mice cannot destroy them. TIGER MOTH. See MOTH. TIGHE, Mary (BLACKFOED), an Irish author- ess, born in Dublin in 1773, died at Woodstock, Kilkenny co., March 24, 1810. She married in 1793 her cousin, Henry Tighe, of county Wicklow, a member of the Irish parliament, and in 1805 printed for private circulation her "Psyche," a poem founded on the story of Cupid and Psyche as related in the " Golden Ass " of Apuleius. It reached a fifth edition in 1816. She died of consumption after sev- eral years of suffering. In 1811 appeared a complete edition of her poetical works, con- taining many devotional pieces. 788 VOL. xv. 48 TIGRfi 751 TIGLATH-PDLESER. See ASBYEIA. TIGRANES THE GREAT, a king of Armenia, ascended the throne about 96 B. C., died about 55. He was a descendant of Artaces, the re- puted founder of the Armenian monarchy, and by wars during the early part of his reign united all Armenia under his rule, and conquered in addition several provinces. He also acquired by his war with Parthia two important prov- inces, which comprised the whole of northern Mesopotamia and the tract east of the Middle Tigris, including Assyria proper and Arbelitis ; and by some unknown means he obtained pos- session also of Media Atropatene. In 83 he was invited into Syria by the inhabitants, who were wearied with the continual strife between the princes of the house of the Seleucidee, and he established himself as king over Cilicia, Syria, and most of Phoenicia, residing at Nisi- bis. About 80 he made the strongly fortified city of Tigranocerta, between the Tigris and Lake Van, his capital. His support of Mithri- dates of Pontus, his father-in-law, involved him in a war with the Romans. Lucullus gained several victories over them, and cap- tured Tigranocerta. Pompey, his successor, made an alliance with Phraates III. of Par- thia, who engaged Tigranes in war on his own frontier, while Pompey marched into Pontus. The occasion for it was offered by the eldest son of Tigranes, of the same name, who had engaged in a conspiracy against the life of his father, and being discovered had fled to Phraates, who readily embraced his cause and marched an army into Armenia. Tigranes fled, Artaxata was invested, and the Parthian monarch withdrew, leaving the young Tigranes as many troops as he thought neces- sary to press the siege to a successful issue. When Phraates was gone, Tigranes returned, defeated his son, and drove him out of his kingdom. But soon afterward he was forced to submit to Pompey, who in the mean time had defeated Mithridates also. (See MITHBI- DATES.) Tigranes went to the camp of Pom- pey, and placed himself as a suppliant at the feet of that general Pompey would not ac- cept the diadem which he offered him, and treated him in a friendly manner, placing him on the throne of Armenia proper. At first Pompey destined the province of Gordyene for the younger Tigranes, but that prince of- fending him, he made it over to Ariobarzanes of Cappadocia. As the province gave rise to disputes between Tigranes and Phraates, Pom- pey sent Afranius to drive the Parthians out of it, and gave it to the Armenians. In 64 Tigranes was again at war with the king of Parthia, but the differences between them were composed by the intervention of Pom- pey. After this he disappears almost entirely from history. He was succeeded by his son Artavasdes or Ardavast. TIGRE, a state of Abyssinia, between lat. 12 and 16 K, and Ion. 37 25' and 40 E. It is an elevated plain, which forms the basis of