THE TEAIL OF THE TIGER 295 



will be possible for the tiger to lie up during the 

 day, after he has taken the bait. This will enable 

 you, when the kill has been made, to build your 

 platform without fear of disturbing the tiger, as 

 is often the case and the cause of his failure to 

 return. Of course it must be located down wind 

 from the bait, and back from the tiger's probable 

 line of approach when such is possible of discern- 

 ment. The mechan may be what size you will, but 

 should be no larger than necessary— say 6x3, or 

 even ljx4, and must be made of tough material 

 that will not creak, with a screen of leaves that will 

 not dry up quickly to crackle at an inauspicious 

 instant. It ought to be about fifteen feet above 

 ground, or twenty, if you can equally as well build 

 one so high, to lessen the chance of being scented. 

 Mechans vary from such simple workmanlike plat- 

 forms to ones bearing nearly all the comforts of 

 home. - An Anglo-Indian whom I knew as an inde- 

 fatigable devotee of this kind of shooting, used to 

 build his mechan with great care and furnish it 

 with mattress, pillows, rug, water bottle and read- 

 ing matter. Whether the platform be simple or 

 elaborate, however, take no one into it with you; 

 twice I lost good opportunities of scoring through 

 my servant's clearing his throat. The tiger does 

 not usually look up, unless his attention is at- 

 tracted by a noise, but the slightest movement 



