Pelts 



THE CATTLE-LIFTER 



Of course, all tigers are not shot over ' tie- 

 ups ' ! A very large number probably end their 

 lives as the outcome of a natural kill by them- 

 selves. The tiger that takes to cattle-killing, 

 and his numbers are very large in the country, 

 probably meets his end in this manner. As soon as 

 a kill of this kind occurs the villagers will usually 

 (or did so in the old days) send word to the nearest 

 sahib, if there are any in the vicinity. 



If the latter has elephants or is in a country 

 where the villagers will turn out to beat up the 

 tiger, he is tracked from the kill to the neighbour- 

 ing piece of jungle in which he is passing the day, 

 stops are placed, the rifle takes up his position, 

 and the tiger is beaten out. 



If, however, the kill is in a part of the country 

 where beating is impossible, either owing to the 

 denseness of the jungle, the absence of elephants, 

 or the impossibility of getting the natives or a 

 sufficient number of natives to beat, there is 

 nothing for it but to sit up over it. 



The dead animal, if possible, should be left 

 exactly as it was when the tiger quitted it, and 

 the villagers should not be allowed to walk 

 round it or trample down the grass and jungle 

 and thus inevitably leave behind them man's 

 aroma, a taint of which will effectually prevent 

 the tiger revisiting the kill. The machan will be 



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