412 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



sniffing the air the while. After satisfying himself that his 

 enemies were in his rear he trotted slowly up the incline 

 towards me. 



Fortunately, none of the dogs had followed him, or else he 

 would have travelled much faster, in which case I should not 

 have got such an easy shot. As it was he only moved along 

 at a slow trot I waited till he had approached to within 

 about 30 yards of me, and as he was moving off broadside on, 

 I fired, aiming a little behind his left shoulder. On feeling 

 the shot he stood upon his hind-legs and, after uttering two or 

 three angry roars, clawed and bit to pieces a small sapling 

 which grew beside him. As he again dropped on all-fours I 

 fired the second barrel, which was too much for him, so he 

 turned tail and re-entered the jungle looking very sick. The 

 beaters and dogs now appeared, and the latter very soon 

 found the bear lying dead on its stomach a few yards inside 

 the cover, with its tongue protruding. 



Bears commit great havoc amongst plantain groves, or, in 

 fact, any fruit-bearing trees, Jack fruit especially. They may 

 often be found up trees asleep in wigwams, which they con- 

 struct themselves of leaves and branches. Burmans and Karens 

 are often severely mauled by them. 1 I know of several instances 

 of villagers having been injured by bears attacking them whilst 

 collecting firewood, fruit, etc. It often happens that a bear is 

 up a tree, like the Thabye-thee tree, for instance, eating the 

 berries, when some unsuspecting villager appears upon the 

 scene to pick up the fallen fruit or collect dried sticks and 

 branches for firewood. The bear on seeing the person below 

 him generally scrambles down as quickly as possible, usually 

 with the intention of escaping, but should the unfortunate 

 human being be too close to the tree trunk when the bear 

 reaches the ground, he will most assuredly be attacked and 

 badly clawed and bitten, the injuries sustained frequently 

 resulting in death. 



I remember the case of a hunter who will carry to the grave 

 with him the marks of a severe mauling from a bear, which 

 had been feasting on Jack fruits in a strip of jungle on the 



1 In Assam more people are mauled and killed by bears than by 

 tigers. F. T. P. 



