222 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



concealed, and is therefore more cautious from constant 

 necessity. As a rule, the larger the animal the more 

 difficult he is to get a shot at. From being so conspicuous, 

 his eyes and ears and powers of scenting the approach 

 of intruders, especially man, are more highly developed. 



Thus, the elephant has larger ears and a nasal apparatus 

 more sensitive than other animals even in proportion 

 to their size ; and his eyes, though small, are very sharp, 

 and he is the hardest to stalk of any known beast unless 

 the utmost caution is taken. The bison and the buffalo 

 are equally wide awake, as anyone will find who tries 

 to get near them. The native shikaris know by instinct 

 how they must track ; but without their aid, and without 

 the employment of counter -wiles and forethought to 

 avoid the smallest blunder, very few shots at big animals 

 are obtainable. If one watches the motions of a tiger or 

 leopard, their invariable method is seen to be one of 

 constant avoidance of being seen. They crouch almost 

 to the ground and advance a few steps with velvet tread, 

 making no sound, then stop still like a statue, with eyes 

 and ears straining to detect the smallest movement in 

 the jungle ; then, being perfectly satisfied, they glide on 

 a few steps, and stand again to take a fresh observation. 

 Then they always take a cast to leeward in order to get 

 the scent of anything on the ground they wish to traverse. 



A man, as a rule, goes simply blundering on through the 

 jungle, making every imaginable noise with his boots and 

 voice, and breathing as loud as a grampus, regardless of 

 the wind, which gives him no information, and making 

 so much noise as to prevent him hearing what slight sounds 

 the jungle does contain. Natives with bare feet, of 

 course, have an advantage. And an unshod horse being 

 led through the jungle will sometimes put a sambur deer 

 off his guard ; but only sometimes, as the difference 



