WOUNDED TIGERS, &c. 65 



the sportsman must expect to come across a fiend, and then, of course, 

 he must be prepared to fight in real earnest. 



Now a word as to bears. These are the most foolish of animals. 

 Wound a bear and he commences to fight with his companion if he has 

 one. His brain-power is very deficient. After he has been marked 

 down, walk up to his lair and wake him up. He takes five minutes before 

 he even knows he is awake. When wounded, he will generally show 

 fight, and I think he should be attacked in the same way as the tiger. 

 After firing at him, if he still continues his charge, I recommend the 

 sportsman to throw his sun-topee at him and then bolt. By an acci. 

 dent I found out a wounded bear would stop and claw up a topee 

 instead of pursuing his enemy. I once, in thick jungle on the ghauts, 

 fought a wounded bear nearly all day. On the first occasion I got 

 quite close to him and in a second he charged out at me. I fired 

 both barrels point blank into him and turned and fled. After going but 

 a short distance — the bear following me — a branch knocked off my pith 

 topee. To my surprise the bear stopped, seized my topee and smashed 

 it to smithereens and chewed one end of it in his rage. I loaded up 

 and went back. He charged in the same way and I fired right and 

 left into him, but he was too sick to come on and ran back. 



I am aware this paper lays me open to the charge of egotism t 

 This I cannot help. The nature of the paper requires it, and I hope 

 my fellow members will pardon me and overlook it. 



REGINALD GILBERT. 



ADDITIONAL NOTE. 



Since the above paper was read, a friend has drawn my attention to Bice's 

 book on tiger-shooting in India. This book, which is now very difficult to get, 

 was published in 1857, and I see the author holds exactly the same opinions as 

 I do. At page 57, after alluding to forming up the party, he says : " The whole 

 " party in a compact body keep close together, move at a snail's pace, yell with 

 " their utmost power, and create what really is a most infernal din. No tiger 

 " will face such a mass of men and noise as this. They sometimes charge down 

 " within even a few yards, but then invariably turn off, mostly getting well 

 " peppered or are shot dead in the attempt. With this system there is perfect 

 " safety to every one, no matter how dense the jungle may be." It may be 

 noted the author gives his party's bag in Eajputana for one year at 68 tigers 

 killed and 30 wounded, 3 panthers killed and 4 wounded. Bears killed 25, 

 wounded 26. Oh, ye gods ! 



R. GILBERT, 



