38o 



THE CARNIVORES 



pletely disappeared, in the wilder and more sparsely inhabited districts they are 

 often still abundant. Indeed, wherever large tracts of forest and grass jungle 

 remain in India, there tigers are to be found in more or less abundance. 



In the fever-stricken swamps and islands forming the so-called sandarbans of 

 Lower Bengal, tigers are especially common; as they also are in the forests of 

 Burma and Assam. Formerly, Sir Samuel Baker tells us, they were to be met with 

 in the grassy islands of the Bramaputra, but the navigation of that river by 

 steamers has led to a large reduction in their numbers. In the forests flanking the 

 easterly Himalayas, and known as the Terai, tigers still abound ; and they will at 



THE BENGAI, TIGER. 

 (One-twelfth natural size.) 



times ascend in the mountains to heights of six thousand or seven thousand feet 

 above the sea level, although they are unknown in the interior of the Himalayas. 

 In some parts of India it was necessary to take active measures against them, in 

 order to prevent the annihilation of the population. Thus a recent writer states 

 that in Manipur ' ' tigers used to be so numerous that the inhabitants were formed 

 into groups for the purpose of marking them down and destroying them. This 

 organization still exists. The groups are called kai-roop, and it is the duty of the 

 chief of the kai-roop of the district to report to the raja whenever a tiger appears 

 within his jurisdiction ; the order is then given to 'destroy him ; this is done by sur- 



