xli INTRODUCTION 



I found this a most interesting pursuit. I would desire 

 to record things that I have seen and incidents, sometimes 

 exciting enough, which come in the ordinary course of a 

 day's work in the forest. 



Lastly, I would try and justify the title of these pages 

 by giving to the inquirer about forests some information 

 as to the objects and methods of modern forestry, about 

 which ideas are rather vague. Some imagine that forestry 

 is the science of planting trees in ornamental plantations 

 and lawns, on which subjects whole books have been 

 written, with full instructions for each time of year, under 

 the title of ' Forestry.' Some imagine that it has something 

 to do with French or German, and that to understand 

 about trees one must think in one or both of these lan- 

 guages. I quite agree that those nations are far ahead 

 of England in the science of forestry ; and having spent 

 some time in Germany studying their system of manage- 

 ment, I consider there is no better school or system ; but 

 when the writer commenced the survey of forests in India 

 it was far more useful to be able to swear roundly in 

 Hindustani, without striking or losing one's temper, than 

 to talk French. Some, again, imagine that cutting timber 

 is the principal work of a forester, and that a good axe 

 is the most essential implement. In the Indian forests 

 I have always found a good rifle and a kukri* the most 

 useful weapons ; while to be able to ride all day on an 

 elephant without feeling the sun, and to camp out in all 

 seasons of intense heat on the plains and of intense cold 

 on the highest hills in the world, without taking fever, 

 and to be always ready for a long march on foot, horse, or 

 elephant, and for a good venison steak at the end of it, 

 were the most approved capabihties of a Forest Officer. 



The Forest Department was started, shortly before the 

 * Gurkha hunting-knife. 



