JUNGLE LORE 205 



out any of the animals in his neighbourhood from their 

 surroundings, the reverse is the case with the jungle folk. 

 They will hear, smell, and see him, seconds, even minutes, 

 before he has any chance of getting on terms with them. In 

 order to reduce to the smallest dimensions the risk of being 

 seen, the sportsman must take a leaf out of the jungle's book, 

 and disguise himself in the protective colouring of the jungle. 

 For the drier parts of the country, khaki is always worn, 

 with no white collar or shirt or wristbands which will be 

 visible many yards off. Also a khaki-coloured topi. In 

 the moister, evergreen forests, such as Assam, Chittagong, 

 Madras and Lower Burma, green shikari cloth is worn with 

 the same coloured topi. Do not wear an uncovered wrist 

 watch. It is apt to send helio signals to the animal you are 

 trying to stalk. 



Since the Anglo-Indian shikari in the jungles of the plains 

 of India spends a good deal of the time he devotes to sport 

 in endeavours to meet tiger and leopard face to face, a few 

 words on the modes of life of these two animals, and how 

 to circumvent them, may now be in place. 



As a first necessity to successful sport a thorough know- 

 ledge of the country in which it is to be obtained is a sine 

 qua non. One must endeavour to know one's locality intim- 

 ately. If, from a variety of reasons, the necessary time for 

 this purpose is not at one's disposal, one must find some 

 trustworthy person who does, and has at the same time the 

 requisite knowledge of the habits of the animals one is out 

 after. 



Tiger. There are several ways of endeavouring to arrange 

 a meeting with tiger : With a line of beating elephants, as 

 described in a subsequent chapter : or beating with coolies, 

 as done in the Central Provinces, which is similar but more 

 dangerous. Other methods are by tying up for him and track- 

 ing on foot. A tiger's beat is of necessity an extensive one. He 

 has, as we have seen, to endeavour to ensure privacy, in other 

 words to keep himself hidden from the jungle folk on whom 

 he preys, and from birds and monkeys, and so forth. Once 

 his presence is known in a jungle his chances of obtaining 

 food are small and he will have to repair to another jungle 

 in which his presence is unsuspected. An animal a week 

 may be taken as his ordinary meat ration, and he endeavours 

 to kill it conveniently near dense jungle, into which he can 

 drag it, and near water. A knowledge of these habits 



