TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



The temper of a bear, too, is very uncertain, and appears 

 to be ajEfected by the season of the year, as well as by the 

 food they exist on. The Bhils declare — and I am of their 

 opinion — that during the " mourah " season bears are 

 particularly vicious, as they eat largely of these berries 

 and are said to be affected by its intoxicating juice, which 

 is quite likely, as a very strong liquor is distilled from these 

 berries. 



They are dangerous beasts to tackle, too, for apart 

 from their formidable claws, they are very tenacious of 

 life, and unless knocked over at once, take a lot of killing. 

 When two or three bears are together, on one being wounded, 

 it will often turn on the others and attack them savagely 

 as if under the impression that they had inflicted the injury. 



An Indian bear measures from five to six feet in length, 

 stands nearly three feet high, and weighs from fifteen to 

 twenty stone. He is a mass of coarse, shaggy, black hair, 

 with a whity-brown muzzle. On his breast he bears a 

 crescent or V-shaped mark resembling a horse-shoe, some- 

 times orange in colour, but more often white. A shot in 

 the centre of this mark, when the animal stands erect, as 

 it often does in attacking, is generally fatal at once. 



Bears frequent rocky hills, caves, deep ravines, and 

 thick bush. In Bengal they are generally found in Purundi, 

 or wild cardamum, jungles. Their food consists chiefly 

 of roots, honey — which they are particularly partial to — 

 and insects of all kinds, especially white ants. They are 

 also very fond, as I have said, of the mourah blossom. 



The sight of the bear, like that of an elephant, is very 

 poor, but, on the other hand, his sense of smell is extra- 

 ordinarily acute. 



The best plan of bringing bears to bag is to send men out 

 to mark them down in the early morning, the men taking 

 up their positions by early dawn on all the prominent 

 hill-tops and peaks, so as to command, if possible, all the 

 ravines and hill-sides. They will then, as soon as the sun 

 rises, be able to see the animals seeking shelter, after their 

 night's ramble and feed, in thick bamboo clumps, fragments 

 of rock, etc., from which they can be easily beaten out. 

 This method of marking down bears, however, can only be 

 carried out in fairly bare, mountainous country. 

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