1891.] Recent Literature. 265 
tion some hundred yards in advance, in a spot that was tolerably clear 
from high i 
« Almost the same circumstance was repeated. Isaw another leopard 
advancing before the line, and pushing my elephant forward to a point 
that I considered would intercept it, I distinctly saw it enter a tangled 
mass of herbage hardly large enough to shelter a calf; there it disap- 
peared from view. 
“ The line of elephants arrived, and no one was aware that another 
leopard had been moved. I pointed out the small clump of grass, and 
ordered an elephant to walk through it. In an instant a leopard 
bolted, and immediately rolled over like its comrade ; but as I had to 
wait until it cleared the line of elephants before I fired, it was about 
thirty-five yards distant, and although it fell to the shot, it partially 
recovered, and limped slowly forward with one broken leg, being ter- 
ribly wounded in other places. It only went about forty paces, and 
then lay down to die. One of the mahouts dismounted from his ele- 
phant, and struck it with an axe upon the head. The leopard was dis- 
patched to camp, and we proceeded to beat fresh ground, as no tiger 
had been here, but evidently the two leopards had killed the bullock 
oa preceding night, and nothing more remained. 
‘* Rosamund had stood very steadily, but she was very rough to ride, 
and the howdah swung about like a boat in a choppy sea. 
** A couple of hours were passed in marching through every place 
that seemed likely to invite a tiger ; but we moved nothing but a great 
number of wild pigs. A few of these I shot for the Garo natives who 
accompanied us. At length we observed in the distance the waving, 
green, feathery appearance of tamarisk, and as the sun was intensely 
hot, we considered that a tiger would assuredly select such cool shade 
in preference to the glaring yellow of withered grass. At all times 
during the hot season a dense bed of young tamarisk is a certain find 
for a tiger, should such an animal exist in the neighborhood. The 
density of the foliage keeps the ground cool, as the sun’s rays never 
penetrate, The tiger, being a nocturnal animal, dislikes extreme heat ; 
therefore it invariably seeks the densest shade, and is especially fond, 
during the hottest weather, of lying upon ground that has previously 
been wet, and is still slightly damp. It is in such places that the 
tamarisk grows most luxuriantly. 
“We were now marching through a long strip of this character, 
which had at one time formed a channel. On either side the tamarisk 
strip was enormously high and dense grass. Suddenly an elephant 
sounded the kettle-drum note. This was quickly followed by several 
