MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 213 



rump, thighs, — in fact everywhere where there was plenty of flesh. This I did 

 on both sides and into each cut I sprinkled 4 to 5 grs. of strychnine, closing up 

 the cut again carefully In this way I distributed 101 grs. of strychnine in 20 

 to 25 long deep cute all over the animal. I then left two men in charge with 

 strict orders to watch the kill and not allow any birds or animals to come to it 

 until night time. 



I felt sure I was going to bag the whole pack this time. The next morning 

 I was unable to go myself, but the news was brought me that the " kill " had 

 been eaten up, and the only thing to be found was one dead hysena ! I could 

 hardly believe the report ; I therefore sent my own shikari to hunt the jungle 

 all round, and the following day I myself went to the spot. There was no 

 doubt about the truth of the report, there was not a vestige of the nilgai to be 

 found, not even its hoofs. The dead hysena was within 10 yards of the spot 

 and two or three vultures, but nothing else. The jungle for half a mile round 

 was searched, but not a dead dog was to be found though their vomit was come 

 across. 



If those who have waded through this long story so far can explain this 

 phenomenon I shall be extremely grateful. Obviously the hysena could not 

 have eaten up tb« whole nilgai. What happened to the dogs ? Did they go off 

 and die in holes far away ? Or are they immune to poison? Is it possible to give 

 too much poison, if so what is the correct amount ? I cannot find the answer 

 to this riddle. I throw out a suggestion, not my own — do the survivors carry 

 off their dead and bury them ? This is not such an idle question as it may 

 seem. A sportsman shooting in this district this year compared notes with me 

 and told me that he had also tried poison, strychnine and arsenic, and had seen 

 one young dog die, whereupon its mother appeared and tried to drag it away. 



If this story serves to elicit replies from other sportsmen, with proved 

 methods of using poison to exterminate wild dogs, the present failures will not 

 have been altogether in vain. The matter is an important one in the interest 

 of sport. I may add that the dogs in this district are h coming so fearless 

 that only this last month a Forest Guard was able to kill one with an axe. 

 The brute with several others was actually coming to attack him. 



D. O. WITT, 

 Khandwa, 2 nd June 1907. Dy. Conservator of Forests. 



[The above was published in the Indian Forester for July 1907, Vol. XXXIII, 

 No. 7.— Eds.] 



