MISCELLANEOUS. 217 



Some years ago news was brought me of a white or 

 cream coloured tiger being in a certain district, where, 

 however, I never had an opportunity of shikaring him. 

 He was reputed to be stripeless. As a tiger gets old, his 

 stripes become faded, and less clear in outline, but this 

 cream coloured one was reported, on good authority, to be 

 absolutely devoid of any. The tiger kills at least once in 

 every five days, so his bag for one year would amount 

 to seventy-three head. Sixty of these would be cattle 

 averaging fully twelve rupees each in value, so at a 

 moderate computation, his annual bill for meat would reach 

 seven hundred rupees a heavy sum to be visited on poor 

 villagers. In jungles that have been much shot over, 

 tigers become suspicious, and will often decline to kill 

 the tied-up animals, but by tying two or three within 

 twenty yards of each other, so as to resemble a herd, 

 he may often be induced to kill his cunning, however, 

 may then cause him to avoid lying up in the neighbour- 

 hood. If a tigress with cubs meets with these animals 

 she will probably kill the lot, in order to teach her young 

 ones their business, but as young water buffaloes only 

 cost six rupees apiece, the outlay will not be very heavy. 

 It has already been mentioned that a herd of buffaloes is 

 often of service in driving a wounded tiger from some spot 

 he may be lying up in ; but if they are not forthcoming, 

 a herd of oxen, or even of goats, may be used for the 

 purpose they will at all events often make him disclose 

 his whereabouts. 



When approaching a kill, rifles should be full cocked, 

 and carried at the ready, and the most open ground 

 selected for the advance. The tiger will almost invariably 

 move off (if he happens to be there), but he may perhaps 

 attempt to drive away the intruders by a hostile demonstra- 



