CHAPTER XX 



THE INDIAN POACHER AND HIS WAYS 



The Indian poacher without firearms — Decrease of animals owing to his 

 methods — Elephant pitfalls — Bison, deer and other animals caught 

 by pitfalls— Sambhar nooses — Light and ring method of trapping 

 chital — Black buck nooses and fish-hook method — Netting pig— Use 

 of poisoned bows and arrows — Light and bell method for hare — Net- 

 ting hare — Trap-door cage for porcupine — Bow and arrow method for 

 tiger — Trap-door cage and goat for leopard — Gun trap for leopard — 

 Cage for jackal — Call method for jackal — " Flying-fox" netting — The 

 snaring of birds — Liming for insectivorous birds — The peacock tail 

 screen for pea-fowl — Nooses for pea-fowl — And hook and line — Call 

 , birds and nooses for partridge — The line of nooses — Netting — 

 Methods of netting for quail — The basket trap for quail — Noosing 

 pigeon — Nooses for duck — Bird-liming — Snaring the kingfisher — 

 Egret killing. 



BEFORE treating of the question of Game Sanctu- 

 aries and the Protection of the Fauna generally 

 I propose to give a brief description here of a few 

 of the methods employed by the Indian poacher 

 without firearms to capture some of the mammals and birds 

 to which protection is supposed to have been given in the 

 past by the Game Act and Rules. 



A great deal of discussion has taken place in India during 

 the past couple of decades on the subject of the decrease of 

 game animals in the country and their future preservation 

 by the formation of Sanctuaries. The decrease has usually 

 been attributed to the inadequacy of the Game Act and 

 Rules made under it ; to the increase in the use, effective- 

 ness and cheapness of firearms, and the ease with which the 

 community, including the villager, can secure them, owing 

 to the slackness with which permits for the possession and 

 use of firearms are issued to all and sundry on the easily 

 preferred pretext that they are required for the protection of 

 crops from the depredations of animals ; to the former laxity 

 in supervision over the sale of powder and shot ; and, finally, 

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