TSE MOTAL TIGER OF BENGAL. 81 



" We had very little small game shooting this day, 

 being constantly on the look-out for tigers. D. 

 knocked over a pig and a hog deer. B. shot a 

 nurkool partridge. I had also a long shot at a 

 herd of spotted deer, hut they were too far off. On 

 returning to the tents at 5 p.m., we found the tigress 

 skinned and the flesh already picked off her bones 

 by innumerable vultures and jackals. Her skin 

 was full of bullet holes, but was most beautifully 

 marked." 



" March 22nd. — Started at about 10 a.m., and tried 

 part of the ground we had gone over yesterday. 



" Our shikarrie took us to a recent ' kill.' The 

 buffalo, for such it was, was very little injured, only 

 a small piece of the hind quarter having been eaten. 

 The place was perfect — a beautiful glade in the 

 forest with a very long and dense nurkool swamp on 

 the border of which he had kiUed. We beat right 

 through it, but could not find the tiger. He had been 

 disturbed by the aheers, and had most probably 

 retreated into the forest, which is close at hand, very 

 dense, and surrounding the glade and swamp com- 

 pletely. We were told that the aheers had driven 

 him off the ' kill ' that very morning. 



" We then proceeded to beat out another very long 

 and deep swamp with steeply wooded banks, along 

 which we had much difficulty in conducting our 

 elephants. Just as we arrived at the extreme end of 

 the swamp, and fortunately on the side on which B. 

 and I were waiting, looking at the line crashing and 



