11 



To this end the recital of a somewhat limited experi- 

 ence has been kept, as far as possible, in the background, 

 an effort being made to bring out rather those apparently 

 unimportant details, the light and shade, so to speak, that, 

 apart from the mere gratification of a hunting- instinct, 

 go so far to form the pleasurable whole of a hunter's 

 wanderings. It is also hoped that, aided by the illus- 

 trations, these l leaves ' may give a nearer and more 

 detailed view of some of India's jungles and sport to 

 those who have not visited the country; If, however, it is 

 a guide-book, a compendium of knowledge, that the latter 

 require, they should turn to the well-known works of 

 famous authors on Indian shikar. 



The writer is aware that the illustrations especially 

 some of the animal figures fall below artistic standards ; 

 but the animals, feebly depicted though they be, will not be 

 found posing in those conventional ' Indian ' surroundings 

 which exist solely in the fertile imagination of the 

 untravelled artist, or may have been elaborated by him on 

 the rough suggestions of those who possess the necessary 

 local knowledge without the power of expressing it in 

 a useful way. No care has been spared to make the 

 sketches true to Nature, and to present wild beasts as 

 they are actually found at home ; and, for this purpose, 

 scenes have been revisited for the express purpose of 

 securing truth in the smallest details. All the landscapes 

 ^TQ facsimiles of actual localities as they exist at the 

 present moment. 



Photographs have been avoided, as only high-class 

 work on a large scale would serve the purpose of the writer. 



