62 JO URNAL, BO MBA Y NA TUBAL HISTOR Y SOCIETY, Vol. IX. 



left the man from the time he was seized till I shot it, and when I 

 arrived on the scene (some 3 minutes or so after he was seized), the 

 panther was worrying and shaking the man like a dog does a rat. 

 The Indian hear, too (Melursus ursinus), can do terrible mischief with 

 his claws. T have understood that they always try and tear the flesh off 

 a man's face and shoulders with their claws ; at any rate, in the only 

 instance I have seen a man attacked by a bear, the bear tore one of 

 the man's cheeks off besides clawing and biting him in other places so 

 badly that the man died in a few hours. I have often had beaters 

 knocked down or clawed in the beat by unwounded tigers and 

 panthers when breaking back, but I have never seen a man seriously 

 injured by an nnwounded beast. 



The question is, when the beast is wounded what should be done ? 

 Some may say leave him alone, but if this is done the next innocent 

 native wood-cutter or herdsman who should be so unfortunate as to 

 come near the beast will get killed. I need only mention as an example 

 the case of my friend, the late Mr. G. L. Gibson, of the Bombay 

 Forest Service. He wounded a tiger in Khandesh, but darkness 

 coming on he had to leave it. Next morning he went out after it, and, 

 close to the place where he left the tiger the previous night, he 

 came across the body of a native boy who had been tending cattle 

 and had just been killed by this wounded tiger. Whilst examining 

 the boy, or shortly afterwards — I forget which — the tiger rushed out, 

 seized Mr. Gibson, and from the wounds received he died. The plan 

 I have always adopted in following up a wounded beast is to get as 

 many beaters as I can and form them into a solid body, then place 

 myself with the other guns in the front rank, having my spare 

 rifle-bearer close behind me. The whole body then move slowly 

 forward. It is necessary to move slowly and carefully, and occasion- 

 ally to turn round to see that the men are not straggling. Every now 

 and then I make the beaters throw stones forward into the thickest 

 jungle and I encourage them to make a noise. The wounded tiger 

 or panther more often than otherwise reveals his presence by 

 growling. I have known, however, a wounded tiger which allowed 

 me to get within eight yards of him in Karve reeds without growling. 

 I discovered his position there by hearing his heavy breathing caused 

 by a lung wound and by the movement of the reeds. My theory 



