ABOUT SOME DEER. 245 



such a weapon I believe the chances of losing deer 

 would be considerably minimised. 



March, April, and May are the best months for 

 shooting the spotted deer as well as most other 

 game, for at this season most of the grass has 

 been burnt, and the deer are then more easily 

 found. Still I have had good days in the cold 

 weather ; but the chance of finding one's game is 

 greatly lessened owing to the greater density of 

 the cover. Cheetal form a very staple article of 

 food for tigers, and a tiger may often be found in 

 a tract of jungle much frequented by cheetal, for 

 water is a necessity to them both in the hot 

 weather, and they therefore congregate where it 

 is easily attainable. 



Of course in a trip for big game cheetal are 

 only pursued in a part of the jungle which the 

 sportsman has ascertained not to contain tigers, 

 or in which he may have killed the tiger or tigress 

 who frequented it. 



Anyhow, it is a charming sport to my mind, 

 and, though a less lordly animal than the noble 

 sambur, the cheetal is far more graceful, and 

 affords opportunities of stalking on varieties of 

 ground. His flesh is, however, coarse and un- 

 palatable. 



I believe that cheetal could easily be ridden 

 down and speared on fairly open ground. I once 



