BULLET AND SHOT 



succeeded in driving a herd of the animals into a 

 stockade. It subsequently died in the Regents' 

 Park Zoological Gardens. 



Mr. M., a planter on the Travancore hills, 

 conceived and actually carried out to completion 

 the brilliant idea of capturing a full-grown bull 

 bison in a pitfall, and then of surrounding the latter 

 with a roomy and strong stockade, and of letting 

 the bull loose within this enclosure. The success 

 of his achievement was complete, and the bull 

 soon became so tame that he would allow Mr. 

 M. to handle him freely, though he would 

 not permit a native to go near him. At last, to 

 Mr. M.'s great disappointment, the bull succeeded 

 one night in displacing the bars of the gate of the 

 stockade, disappeared, and was never seen again. 



The only bison calf which I have ever possessed 

 died almost immediately after I received it, since it 

 had been nearly starved for some days in a native 

 village before it was brought to me, its captors 

 being very ignorant and careless. I have seen a 

 very young calf left behind, crouching like a hare 

 in its form, after I had fired at and had killed a 

 member of the herd, the rest of which, with the 

 exception of the little calf, had rushed away at the 

 shot. The tiny animal was, however, far too active 

 to allow itself to be caught, and easily made good 

 its escape. 



Bison in southern India are exceedingly timid, 

 inoffensive creatures, and it is only when one has 

 been wounded and is being followed up, that the 

 sportsman may possibly be charged. Even in such 



16 



