THE TIGER. 



17 



Captain Forsyth, in his admirable book on the Highlands of Central India, fully bears 

 out what I have just written, and adds that " the British Public demands twelve feet Tigers ! " 

 As I am writing for sportsmen, and endeavouring to give reliable information, I trust that I 

 may be excused from truckling to the popular demand. 



The Tiger, as is well known, delights in thick cover in the vicinity of water. In the 

 cold weather, when water is plentiful, the Tigers are much scattered ; a great many of them 

 betaking themselves to the lower hills and wandering about a great deal. At this season 

 there is no certainty of finding them. As the hot weather approaches water becomes scarcer ; 

 much of the grass jungle is burned ; and the Tigers frequent the shady jungles on the banks 

 of rivers, beds of reeds on the margins of swamps, and such cool and moist retreats. They 

 are then disinclined to move during the heat of the day, and may be found for a certainty 

 in the places which they are known to frequent, and when once found can be generally 

 accounted for. At this time they frequently do great damage among the herds of cattle, 

 which are of course obliged to be kept in the neighbourhood of water. 



It is rarely that Tigers become man-eaters in Northern India, probably on account of 

 there being such abundance of game and cattle for them. Unless provoked the Tiger will 

 rarely attack a man, but does his best to get quietly away. Tigers vary much in their dis- 

 positions, some fighting desperately, and others dying like curs without attempting to be 

 revenged on their assailants. 



Tiger-shooting is such a well worn theme that I would dispense with all notice of it 

 were it not that no series of anecdotes of Indian sport would be considered complete without 

 it ; and as I am not in the fortunate position of the man who was congratulated by his friend 

 as being the only old Indian he had ever met who had not shot a Tiger, I suppose I must add 

 a few reminiscences under this heading. 



The different methods of shooting Tigers, viz., from the backs of Elephants, from plat- 

 forms on trees, and on foot — by beating, driving, or watching, have been written about a 

 hundred times. I will not, therefore, weary the reader with " vain repetition," but will merely 

 mention that all the different methods are adapted to different circumstances ; and that as 

 there are times when shooting off Elephants is not merely the safest, but the only way in 

 which a Tiger could possibly be brought to bag, so, on the other hand, there are places where 

 Elephants cannot go, yet Tigers may be shot on foot with but little risk. Even the usually 

 despised plan of sitting in a tree over " a kill " may be the only feasible way of getting a 

 shot ; and tedious as this undoubtedly is, the man who is a naturalist as well as a sportsman 

 will find much to interest him during his solitary watch. I say solitary, advisedly, for 1 no one, 

 who does not wish to have his labor for nothing, will ever permit a native to sit with him. 

 I have never yet seen the native who could keep quite still and absolutely silent. All that 

 I have met with either become excited, or fidget, or cough, or talk, or go to sleep and snore ! 



In the Terai the only way of shooting Tigers is off Elephants : shooting them on foot is 

 simply impossible : the grass is so high that the Tiger could not be seen. Those who have 

 shot Tigers on foot in the Bombay Presidency and other parts, where Tigers are driven out 

 of nullahs, may disparage the Terai shooting, but the nature of the countries is so different 



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