BISON. 145 



ances, and no doubt the bore is too small for such heavy 

 beasts.* 



On the 3rd August I marched to Toonacudavoo, taking 

 the Poolakul ibex hill on the way, but found no fresh 

 tracks of ibex, nor did I fire a shot that day. My trip 

 to Perrincudavoo had afforded capital sport, only four 

 days having been blank ones. The weather all this time 

 had been very wet, and, as has been already stated, we 

 had three days on short commons ; but these minor 

 discomforts were unable to dim the pleasures of that 

 expedition. 



The undergrowth of these forests had vastly increased 

 since my arrival, in many places the grass, creepers, 

 cannse, caladiums, &c., being several feet in height ; the 

 open spaces were gradually becoming choked with rank 

 vegetation, and this not only threw great difficulties in the 

 way of tracking by obscuring the slots of bison, but also, 

 by increasing the amount of covert, considerably impeded 

 the view, and the time was approaching when little could 

 be done with any animals except wild elephants. 



Laying in a fresh stock of provisions and ammunition 

 at Toonacudavoo, I started for Poolakul on the afternoon 

 of the 4th August, and the following morning entered the 

 forest in a southerly direction, finding numerous four days 

 old elephant tracks within a few hundred yards of the 

 camp, all leading towards the cardamom jungles of 

 Travancore, which, without the Eajah's permission, was 

 forbidden ground. After walking some distance we found 

 the trail of a large bull bison, and, while following it up, 

 heard the howling of a bear not far off. A voyage of 



* Although knocked down, the majority recovered and 

 escaped. Even a 12 -bore is hardly large enough for so heavy 

 an animal. 



L 



