THE TIGEE. 305 



was told this story next morning by several respectable 

 natives who saw the whole affair, and who had no object in 

 telling a lie about it. For my own part, knowing what Mr. 

 Sarju was capable of, I believe it. 



Before quitting the subject of tigers I may notice the 

 obstacle presented by the number of these animals to the 

 advance of population and tillage. Between five and six 

 hundred human beings, and an uncalculated number of cattle, 

 are killed by wild beasts in the Central Provinces alone every 

 year. This enormous loss of life and property has been the 

 subject of much discussion; and many schemes for their de- 

 struction have been proposed, most of them unpractical, and 

 some even absurd. For some years heavy rewards were given 

 for every tiger and other dangerous animal killed, special 

 rewards being placed on the heads of man-eaters ; and I am 

 convinced that many more were killed during that time than 

 previously, though statistics of former years when there was 

 no reward are not available for comparison. The number 

 destroyed increased every year under this stimulus. Kewards 

 for the killing of 2414 tigers, panthers, bears, and wolves 

 were claimed in 1867 (the last year for which statistics are 

 available), against 1863 in 1865. Tigers are certainly not 

 now so numerous by a great deal in many parts with which I 

 am personally acquainted as they were even six or eight years 

 ago. The reward has now again been much decreased ; and 

 the experience of a few years will show whether the tigers 

 again get the upper hand. It is practically only the cattle- 

 killing and man-eating tigers that are productive of injury, 

 those which principally subsist on game being probably more 

 useful than noxious. Poison has sometimes been successful in 

 destroying a man-eater, a famous tigress, that long ravaged 

 the western part of Ohindwilra district having been killed 



