ECOLOGY 293 



cause it gave us better visibility for shooting. (We hunted both tigers and 

 leopards in exactly the same way.) It was not necessary to hurry, for we 

 knew the tiger would probably be somewhere in the vicinity of his kill all 

 day. 



We had twelve elephants in the line, which gave us a beat of considera- 

 ble breadth. The breadth varied so much depending on the nature of the 

 terrain and the proximity of the tiger, that it was difficult to estimate its 

 mean. Perhaps it was never less than 1 50 yards or more than 300. 



The beat moved through high ratwa and nurtle grass, which sometimes 

 grows as high as the howdah (the commodious railed, canopied seat on the 

 elephant's back). Should a tiger sleeping in the grass be startled by our 

 beat, his natural tendency would be to move on ahead of us. But cases have 

 occurred where a tiger, driven out of his refuge, broke back through the 

 line of elephants. Great precautions had to be taken to keep the elephants 

 close enough together to frustrate any such move; for swinging around 

 to shoot from an elephant's rear is difficult. 



As long as we could drive the tigers in front of us we had no fear that 

 they would disappear "into the blue" like deer or antelope. Tigers, like all 

 big cats, will not run far. They have a short temper and no running en- 

 durance. It is true one may lose them, but the explanation then would be 

 that they had turned or doubled and were again secreted in a spot where 

 the beat would just miss them. 



The tiger as a species was originally a cold weather animal. The Indian 

 tigers of today are supposed to have descended from Korean, Manchurian, 

 and Central Asiatic stocks. The reason for the migration seems to have 

 been the more plentiful game afforded by the hot countries. 



The tigers in our area were not fond of heat. As soon as the sun was 

 fairly well up from the horizon, they chose a densely shaded spot wherein 

 to lie down. 



With twelve elephants in line, a considerable area could be covered; 

 and since we continued beating as long as the light permitted, our chances 

 for discovering a tiger were excellent. All during the beat the line tried 

 to comb those places where the grass was highest and the jungle thickest. 



This difficult and highly technical show was managed by the Kunwar 

 with consummate ease. He used gestures. He spoke in a soft, gentle voice. 

 Occasionally he whistled. Men and elephants were instantly responsive to 

 his signals. 



There were no dull moments during the hunt. We never knew when a 

 tiger might appear. But we did know that a bad shot might cause the tiger 

 to charge at an elephant and maul him. An elephant cannot abide the smell 

 of a big cat. Seeing a tiger, he will always trumpet and raise his trunk and 

 curl it over his head, for he knows how vulnerable he is to a tiger's claws. 

 Because a tiger can leap very high, accidents do happen. However, keep- 

 ers always take great care to dress their elephant's wounds. 



