ANIMALS IN FAMINE 1 1 3 



under all trees in parks of the same height that to 

 which cattle can lift their heads to bite the branches. 

 When the wood or forest has been enclosed previously, 

 the whole of this stock of food, reaching down to the 

 ground, instead of to the ' cattle line,' is at their service. 

 Sir Dietrich Brandis, lately chief of the Forest Depart- 

 ment of the Indian Empire, makes special mention of 

 the part played by this ' reserve ' in the economy of 

 animal famines in India. During the years of drought 

 and famine in 1867 and 1868, the cattle (of all the in- 

 habitants) were allowed to graze in the Rajah's preserves 

 at Rupnagar. The branches of the trees were cut for 

 fodder. The same was done in Kishangarh, and a large 

 proportion of the cattle of these two places were pre- 

 served during those terrible years. 



But there are regions, like the African steppe, where 

 the summer famines among animals are more frequent 

 than in India, and where there is little forest available 

 as a reserve store of food. Certain animals * trek ' for 

 great distances to escape from the famine area. Birds 

 leave it entirely. But the greater number of the quad- 

 rupeds stay and take their chance, the stronger of 

 hunger, the weak of famine and death. 



If we examine the stores made by most of the 

 vegetable-eating animals which do lay by a famine 

 fund/ we find a rather curious similarity in the food 

 commonly used by them. They nearly all live on 



