530 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV11. 



actually different. I entirely disbelieve, however, both from what I have 

 seen and from the indirect evidence of the dead body, that the tiger has any 

 scientific and conscious method of breaking the animals' neck, he merely 

 makes a furious onslaught on the neck which frequently gets broken by 

 means of " unconscious " force. 



I should like to add a word of caution regarding the belief that the neck 

 is almost invariably broken, on the contrary it is more often not broken. I 

 think this belief has arisen from the matter having been so often discussed in 

 print and also the very cursory examination which often takes place resulting 

 in a false verdict of a broken neck. From a very large number of kills which 

 have been thoroughly examined, and excluding such cases in which the neck 

 has been chewed through, I have found that not more than 40 per cent, of the 

 animals' necks are broken. It would be interesting if other sportsmen who 

 have made a study of this point would give their experiences. 



A. A. DUNBAR BRANDER, I.F.S., 



Deputy Conservator of Forests. 

 Bebar, May 27th, 1906. 



No. XXIV.— THE SENSE OF SMELL OF TIGERS. 



One frequently reads in books on sport of the keen sense of smell possessed 

 by tigers and the precautions which are necessary when hunting to prevent 

 detection on this account. All the evidence, however, which I have been able 

 to collect on this subject goes to show that the tiger's sense of smell is of a very 

 low order, perhaps hardly equalling that of man. A tiger is frequently driven 

 up to a man either on the ground or in a tree and over ground which has been 

 thoroughly tainted with human smell without the tiger being in the least aware 

 of the presence of his hidden foe. Most sportsmen who have shot tigers must 

 have noticed this occur even when the wind was " all wrong " and under 

 circumstances in which any other animal in the forest (panthers excepted) 

 would have been aware of the presence of man. It cannot be argued that he 

 is aware of man's presence, and only indifferent to it, as on hearing or catching 

 sight of man the tiger frequently takes precautions accordingly. The same 

 applies when stalking on foot. I have several times come on tiger in the 

 forest which were quite unaware of my presence. Although within 40 yards 

 and under circumstances in which had they possessed even moderate powers 

 of smell they must have known of my approach. 



Then again a tiger will approach his kill, and he frequently does this with 

 the greatest caution and suspicion. But a man may be hidden within 20 yards 

 without the tiger discovering him. Any one who has sat this distance over water 

 to watch deer must have noticed how the deer discover his presence again and 

 again even when the greatest precautions regarding " wind" have been made 

 and which are usually entirely neglected when dealing with the tiger. The 

 tiger has undoubtedly a very keen sense of sight and hearing and I feel sure 

 that sportamen, unaware how keen these senses are, have often attributed the 



