APPENDIX. 345 



human beings destroyed by wild beasts. Eewards are offered by 

 the Government for the killing of these animals, but in some dis- 

 tricts the loss of life is very great, and in others, where it is less 

 excessive, the reason is given that cattle are very abundant, and 

 afford more accessible food for carnivorous animals. In 1872-73 

 there were 2,33i deaths from snake-bites and wild beasts in the 

 Bombay Presidency. The inhabitants of the border between jun- 

 gle and cultivation are killed and eaten by tigers in such numbers 

 as to require the immediate and serious attention of Government, 

 both in India and in England. The following are a few out of 

 many instances : A single tigress caused the destruction of 13 

 villages, and 250 square miles of country were thrown out of cul- 

 tivation. Wild beasts frequently obstruct Government survey 

 parties. In 1869 one tigress killed 127 persons and stopped a 

 public road for many weeks. Man-eating tigers are causing a 

 great loss of life along the whole range of the Nali-Mali forest. 

 One is said to have destroyed more than 100 people. In Lower 

 Bengal alone, in a period of six years, 13,401 people were killed 

 by wild beasts. The Chief Commissioner of the Central Prov- 

 inces, in his report, shows the following return of human beings 

 kiUed by tigers : 



In 1866-67.... 373 



In 1867-68 289 



In 1868-69 285 



Total in three yeaj:s 946 



It appears that there are difficulties in the way of killing down 

 these tigers ; first, the superstition of the natives, who regard the 

 man-eating tiger as a kind of incarnate and spiteful divinity, whom 

 it is dangerous to offend ; secondly, the failures of the Government 

 rewards ; thirdly, the desire of a few in India actually to preserve 

 tigers as game, to be shot with the rifle as a matter of sport. Mr. 

 Frank Buckland suggests an organized destruction of the tiger 

 cubs in the breeding season, and the attraction of full-grown tigers 

 to traps, pitfalls, and other, devices, by means of a drug of vale- 

 rian, of which tigers, which are only gigantic cats, are exceedingly 

 fond." 



