\am JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XX VIII. 
big tiger, but on rueasurement did not prove to be as big as was anticipated. It 
measured and was I'-IO" round the fore-arm. 
The party then moved to a second beat at Bhulna ( 5 ). This was in the 
same Erection and the line of machans was under a low range of wooded hills. 
Some sambhar crossed the ridge, but they were too far off to distinguish heads. 
There was a certain amormt of firing and Colonel McConaghy got two sambhar. 
One was of a class now so often met with I am told in Bhopal jimgles, with a 
large body and ill-developed horns. Whether this is due to overshooting resulting 
in the destruction of the best heads, or due to an excess of does and consequent 
weakening of the stock it is difl&cult to decide. A member of the staff vTiting 
to me describes what followed afterwards. 
“ Poynder had shot at a panther which galloped straight down the path 
towards him and Avoimded it, but had no idea where he hit it. It was decided to 
follow it up for a bit on foot and everyone was just getting on to the blood tracks 
when an excited man rushed up and said that the panther was sitting 
under a rock on the hiU about 100 yards in the rear. We made a cautious 
approach and found several men up in trees chattering hard and pointing to 
a spot where we eventually with the greatest difficulty distinguished the 
animal. It was hard to make out how he was lying, and though obviously 
hit he was by no means hors-de-combat. Poynder took a shot at it which 
made it jump and then Legh and a shikari blazed off. Stones were then thrown 
and people came to the conclusion that it was dead. She proved to be a small 
female panther and was so knocked about as to render the sldn practically 
useless but she was carried back in triumph by a vast crowd of beaters who 
suddenly appeared as if by magic from every point of the compass.” 
Captain Pojnder described the incident himself to me as follows : — 
“ The panther came out right at the end and galloped straight at me down a 
path. I fired twice and she disappeared. We found blood and hair on the path 
and a cooly came in shortly afterwards saying she was badly wounded and 
lying down 200 yards away. We walked up and foimd her lying behind some 
rocks with only her side showing. Not knowing how badly sbe was hit we did 
not risk too close an approach and fired at this. Unfortunately both Legh, Godfrey 
Thomas and a shikari fired as well as myself so the animal was knocked to pieces. 
My original shot had gone through the off shoulder from the front, breaking 
the bone to atoms so we need not have been so alarmed. Again my *470 that I 
eulogised to you before.” The panther measured 6 feet and was a female. 
Having only come out for the day from Bhopal Colonel McConaghy’s party 
had to return in the evening by goods-train. JMisinformed as to the time of 
its departure they were quietly motoring to Salamatpur to catch it when they 
saAv it commg aloiig towards them. Abandoning their car, which was close to 
the line, they rushed on to the track, carrying their gims, and stood four abreast 
across the track with their arms out. The train had either to stop or run over 
them and the engine driver luckily chose the former alternative. They climbed 
into the guard’s van and the man did not seem at all surprised, as if holding up 
trains on the mam line was a common occurrence in India. 
Captain Dudley North went out for sambhar to Bhojpur (7) on this day, and 
thus describes his experiences to me: “On the 6th February I shot a sambhar stag 
33" with my ’286 Mauser. I rvas sitting in a machan, which was on a high rock 
half way down the slope of a hill, the beaters being on the other side. 
A number of sambhar does passed down a track along the side of the hill, 
going from left to right about 100 yards from me. There Avas a cutting in 
the jungle going straight up the hill, and as each one jsassed I took careful 
aim ui case a stag came along. A small stag passed and then a much larger 
and darker-coloured one. The light rvas not good but the head seemed to be 
good enough, and so I fired. I thought I had hit it, but it rvent on, and it 
