228 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



I was camped near a paddy flat some seven 

 miles from Gudaloor on the Sultan's Battery 

 Road in South East Wynaad, when, early 

 one morning in March, a fine old Chetty called 

 at my tent and wished to know whether the dor ay 

 (gentleman) would like to see a tiger which was 

 caught in the nets the previous night. Of course 

 the doray was only too willing to witness so 

 novel a sight, so off we set, I taking the pre- 

 caution to carry with me a gun in case of 

 emergency. 



The nets are about twelve feet wide and thirty 

 yards long, with four-inch meshes. They are made 

 of quarter-inch cord of green cocoanut fibre, 

 which is immensely strong. A stronger cord passes 

 through the top and bottom of the length of the 

 net. There are two methods of using these nets. 

 When a tiger has killed a cow or bullock, his lair 

 for the time, which is generally near to his kill, 

 is marked down and is surrounded by beaters 

 from all the neighbouring villages. One path alone 

 is left open, and across this the nets are stretched. 

 The lower rope of the net, which runs along the 

 ground, is fastened to pegs on either side of the 

 path. The top rope is loosely supported on bamboo 

 uprights, at intervals of a few yards, which spread 

 out the net and make a fragile and scarcely per- 

 ceptible barrier across the unguarded space. The 

 uprights are so lightly fitted that the slightest 

 pressure on the net knocks them away and the 

 whole net comes to the ground, covering the creature 

 that attempts to force its way through. When 



