658 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



No. I.— THE TIGER AND THE TRAIN. 



About a month ago a cvirious incident occurred on the G. I. P. main line 

 where it runs through the Satpuras near Asirgarh. 



Some surface men walking along the permanent-way came on the end of 

 a tiger's tail lying beside the rail. It had obviously been quite recently cut 

 off by a passing train. An inspection of the gTass on the adjacent bank 

 showed that some animal had made ofi" with difficulty and a few steps were 

 sufficient to bring part of the tiger into view. The surfacemen considered 

 a closer inspection would be imprudent, although on their way to the 

 nearest village they stoutly maintained to themselves that the tiger was 

 dead, and they were thus able to impress on the local Shikari the simplicity 

 of firing a bullet into its carcase and claiming the reward which Government 

 pays for the destruction of tigers. Tlie Shikari and the surfacemen 

 promptly returned to the spot and the former (no doubt with a reduced 

 charge for economy's sake) fired at the tiger, which at once got up and 

 mauled him. While this was taking place a keyman on the G. I. P., who 

 was also present, ran in and split the tiger's skull with an axe. The unfor- 

 tunate Shikari died subsequently of his wounds. The tiger was found to 

 have been struck by a passing train in the hind quarters and badly 

 damaged. As such an occurrence must be very unusual it may be of some 

 interest to the readers of the Journal. It is difficult to conceive how such a 

 cautious and active animal as a tiger could get caught by a train : it might 

 be accounted for by the passing of two trains simultaneously, or again the 

 tiger at the last moment may have thought the other side of the track 

 afforded more cover and security. I have heard of several instances of 

 leopards beiug killed by trains, but these animals are much less timid of 

 man and aU his works than tigers are. 



KUANDWA, C 



November 1918. 



A. A. DUNBAR BRANDER, i.f.s. 



No. IT.— ARROW HEAD IMBEDDED IN A TIGER'S BACK. 



I enclose a photograph which may be of interest to members of the Society. 

 It represents an arrow head found imbedded in the flesh of a tiger which 

 I shot last Christmas. The wound was evidently an old one, for skin had 

 grown entirely over it and only a small patch of slightly lighter-coloured 

 hair marked the spot on the beast's back where the arrow had entered. 



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