MISCELLANEOUS NOTJ^S. 391 



be eaten by vultures and wild beasts. The body is tied to a tree in a sitting 

 posture and a pot of water is placed close by. Not long ago some cow-herd 

 boys came across the dead body of a woman tied to a. tree as described and 

 noticed the foot-prints of a tiger round it, but the body was untouched. 

 The boys cut the rope binding the body, which fell to the ground, and the 

 next day the corpse was found eaten away by the tiger." This I give for 

 what it is worth, but the custom described deserves mentioning. 



To return to our nets. When we got out to the enclosure we were told 

 that there were two or more tigers inside and, to cut the story short two 

 were killed that day, and two, on clearing more jungle, the nest. There was 

 one male tiger, 8 feet 7 inches in length, and the other three were young 

 tigresses, running from 8 feet to 8 feet 5 inches ; in fact, as it seemed, a party 

 of brother and sisters. Whether any of these was the veritable man-eater it 

 is impossible to say, but they were certainly caught in the jungle close to 

 which the men were killed, and it is not very likely that there was a fifth. 



One of the tigers, I may mention, was wounded and had to be walked up 

 inside the enclosure. On this occasion it was too maimed to charge, but 

 there is always the possibility of excitement over a wounded beast which 

 cannot be otherwise finished off. Sanderson describes how the villagers some- ' 

 times kill the tiger for themselves with spears, which must be a fine sport to 

 witness, but I fancy this is seldom done now-a-days, when the netting is chiefly 

 carried on by the direction of H. H. the Maharajah on special occasions only, to 

 catch tigers alive for his own magnificent collection at Mysore and to present 

 to the London and other Zoological Gardens, or to provide shooting for his 

 visitors. Any one who has been present, whether the young sportsman who 

 wishes to become familiar with the sight of an angry tiger, or the old shikari 

 who has slain the beast by the usual methods, will equally agree that Tiger 

 netting in Mysore is an interesting experience, and well-worth witnessing. 



S. M. ERASER, i.c.9. 

 Mysore, 18)!/i February, 1902. 



No. XEI.— BIRDS COLLECTED IN HYLAKANDY, CACHAR, 



ZooTHEEA MAKGiNATA. — The Lesser Brown Thrush. 

 Hume, Cat, 350 bis. ; Oates, No, 705. 

 I have a single female skin in my collection collected at Roopachcna. This 

 is the only one I have ever come across. 



MiCROHiERAX MELANOLEUcus. — The White-legged Falconet. 

 Hume, Cat. 20 bis, ; Blanford, 1268, 

 I entered this species asfringlUarius in my list but it must be altered to the 

 present species. I sent my skin to Mr. Stuart Baker and he kindly corrected 

 my identification. 



CHAS. M. INGLIS. 

 Baqhownie Factory, 

 Darbhaxga, 18^/i February, 1902. 



