CONSERVATORS’ WORK 131 
certainly more dexterous and agile. Not many 
such are now left, and it is rumoured that the order 
for the slaying of all solitary male elephants has 
already gone forth, so that the disappearance of the 
species from North-West India is probably only 
a matter of time. 
From the house at Chandanpur, in the north-east 
corner of the district, tigers may generally be found, 
and are often beaten up to the guns, especially as 
elephants are easily available in this district, owing 
to the generosity of the Maharaja; the configuration 
of the ground is broken, deep ravines being frequent, 
so that the line of retreat of the tigers can be readily 
guarded. As a rule it will be found that there is 
difficulty in these forests in persuading a tiger to 
return to his kill, perhaps because the area is not 
extensive enough to afford much choice of cover, or 
even freedom from intrusion by man. 
Mr. B. A. Rebsch, who has shot as much big 
game as any man in India, developed here an inter- 
esting form of sport while in charge of these forests, 
that might still be practised with success. His aim 
was to circumvent the bears which nightly descend 
from the hills to feed on the wild fruits and roots in 
the plains below, and return before dawn to their 
mountain fastnesses ; and with this object he reached 
the Nepal boundary, then marked by a cleared ride 
30 yards wide, before daylight, and posted sentinels 
in trees at convenient distances on either side of 
him. These men could look down towards the forest 
below, and with coming daylight could detect the 
bears moving towards the hills, and thus were able 
to inform the sportsman of their approach by pre- 
