A CHAT ABOUT INDIAN WILD BEASTS. 155 
would offer but precarious chances even to so cunning and 
stealthy a foe as the Tiger, as all wild animals are so wonderfully 
cautious in their approaches to such resorts. The Tiger too 
would betray his presence to them by that peculiar smell attaching 
to him, so that the odds are greatly against our striped friend’s 
success, though of course he occasionally is rewarded by catching 
some unwary over-thirsty animal that rushes to the pool heedless 
of the consequences. But this will not apply to the Tiger on the 
hills, where no paucity of water ever occurs to such an extent as 
to drive the game to any one spot to drink. That the Tiger’s 
principal food in certain localities is game there can be little 
question, but how he takes it is not well known, and perhaps 
may never have been witnessed by anyone. 
I have a theory of my own on this point; let us ventilate it. 
In the first place, the Tiger must have room to spring on his 
victim in the sholas,*—many are sufficiently clear to allow this,— 
and no doubt he takes advantage of such spots when a chance 
offers in them; but in general the woods are dense with under- 
growth interspersed with trees so close together that the spring 
of the Tiger and the force of the blow must—I should say—be 
greatly interfered with. Then, again, his presence, as before 
said, is so liable to detection by the Deer that his chances of 
capture are remote; but at night the Deer are out in the open, 
and then perhaps, the wind being by chance in his favour, he 
may succeed; and I am disposed to believe that this is the most 
likely time for him to do so, though he is in no way restricted as 
to time or place, for he slays tame Indian Buffaloes oftener 
during the day than during the night, and at times close to their 
habitations. All Deer possess an acute sense of smell, and 
against it a Tiger has to contend before he can provide his larder 
with game; but how does he manage it? We cannot give him 
the credit of the intellect of man, who, in pursuit of game, is well 
aware nothing can be done down wind. Were it so, not a Sambur 
or Deer would be left alive. The Tiger would bag them all just 
as he pleased,—in fact, he would then be able to kill any Deer 
when he wanted it. We have so far considered the acuteness on 
the part of the game to ensure them against total destruction, 
and I have only one further observation to record, and that is 
* Wooded ravines. 
