737 

 THE KATHIAWAR LION. 



BY 



Lt.-Col. L. L. Fenton. 

 (With an Illustration.) 



In an article recently contributed by me to our Journal, on the 

 Kathiawar Lion, I did not give any of my own experiences in 

 hunting it. As these tend in some measure to give an insight 

 into the nature of the animal, I send the following account taken 

 from my shikar diary in case it may be acceptable for publication. 

 It is many years now since I shot my first lion, viz., in 1886, 

 when I first went to Kathiawar. The Gir was then at its best 

 in the matter of games of all kinds, and a terra incognita to all 

 except a few local European and Junagadh State officials. 

 Having obtained the readily granted permission of the Darbar 

 to shoot a lion, I moved my camp towards the middle of the hot 

 weather to the Talala Ness or hamlet, which besides being close 

 to the lion country, has a good pitching ground under a magni- 

 ficent grove of banyan trees which afford perfect protection from 

 the sun during the day time. It lies about 14 miles, as the crow 

 flies, north of Verawal, from which it can be reached by a so- 

 called made-road which, at the time I write of, was never kept 

 in repairs. Mukhbul Mia, one of the Junagadh Sardars, and 

 the then Superintendent of the Gir, accompanied my camp for 

 the purpose of rendering me all the assistance I required in attain- 

 ing my object. The best of the State pagis or trackers were 

 also placed at my disposal. The latter had already been sent out 

 to mark down the lions some days previous to my arrival. 



A few days before, lions had been heard close to Talala, but they 

 had moved away. On the day following my arrival, I heard that 

 there had been a " kill J ' at Borwao — a Ness about 8 miles distant 

 from Talala, and that the pagis were tracking up the lion or lions 

 which were responsible for it. I may here mention that the Gir 

 lion rarely if ever returns to its " kill," which is probably owing 

 to its food being so plentiful. The following day the expected 

 hhubber did not arrive, but on the 14th May — the next day — 

 the pagis sent in word to say that there had been a fresh kill near 



