226 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



hanging branches, or perhaps tearing it off and precipi- 

 tating the bold shikari, with his loaded guns, to the ground, 

 on the top, perchance, of the infuriated tiger. Such are 

 the dangers of the pursuit of tigers with untried elephants, 

 far worse from the animal ridden than the one pursued. 



It is unnecessary to describe the rest of the doings of 

 the Terai party, except to say that on this occasion the 

 bag came, in three camps, to nine tigers, and only one 

 that was put up got away unshot. The preference as to 

 position, if there was any, was given to each member of 

 the party in turn. There were few bad shots made, and 

 when the party separated, each lot going their own direc- 

 tion, the regrets were great. Every gun in all the howdahs 

 was emptied in the air as a parting salute, and all agreed 

 that they never had had a more delightful time or a more 

 successful week's shikar party. 



Our Chief was a most successful administrator of his 

 province during a period the longest on record. He could 

 not tear himself from his much-loved people of Kumaon, 

 or the country he had won from barbarism ; and when he 

 retired it was to live his last days in his beautiful residence 

 at Binsar, in the dear old Himalayan hills. 



To describe all the birds and animals of the Terai would 

 be a work in itself. In a game point of view, I may 

 mention the greater and lesser fiorikin, than which there 

 are no more beautiful birds or more worthy of the sports- 

 man's pursuit. The former is found in short grass near 

 swamps, where black partridges also abound, and these 

 are often shot with a line of guns and beaters, in the cold 

 season, on foot. The fiorikin rises straight up and flutters 

 like a woodcock. He is a large bird of the bustard tribe, 

 heavier than a wild duck, and is described by Blanford 

 as Sypheotis Bengalensis, 26 inches long ; the smaller as 

 Sypheotis aurita, 18 inches. 



