e.
--'Naka,' or scout ahead.--Usual time for tiger shooting on the
Koosee.--Firing the jungle.--The line of fire at night.--Foolish to
shoot at moving jungle.--Never shoot down the line.--Motions of
different animals in the grass.

Tigers seem to have no regular breeding season. As a rule the male and
female come together in the autumn and winter, and the young ones are
born in the spring and summer. All the young tigers I have ever heard
of have been found in March, April, and May, and so on through the
rains.

The natives have many singular beliefs and prejudices about tigers,
and they are very often averse to give the slightest information as to
their whereabouts. To a stranger they will either give no information
at all, pleading entire ignorance, or they will wilfully mislead him,
putting him on a totally wrong track. If you are well known to the
villagers, and if they have confidence in your nerve and aim, they
will eagerly tell you everything they know, and will accompany you on
your elephant, to point out the exact spot where the tiger was last
seen. In the event of a 'find' they always look for _backsheesh_, even
though your exertions may have rid their neighbourhood of an
acknowledged scourge.

The _gwalla_, or cowherd caste, seem to know the habits of the yellow
striped robber very accurately. Accompanied by their herd they will
venture into the thickest jungle, even though they know that it is
infested by one or more tigers. If any member of the herd is attacked,
it is quite common for the _gwalla_ to rush up, and by shouts and even
blows try to make the robber yield up his prey. This is no
exaggeration, but a simple fact. A cowherd attacked by a tiger has
been known to call up his herd by cries, and they have succeeded in
driving off his fierce assailant. No tiger will willingly face a herd
of buffaloes or cattle united for mutual defence. Surrounded by his
trusty herd, the _gwalla_ traverses the densest jungle and most
tiger-infested thickets without fear.

They believe that to rub the fat of the tiger on the loins, and to eat
a piece of the tongue or flesh, will cure impotency; and tiger fat,
rubbed on a painful part of the body, is an accepted specific for
rheumatic affections. It is a firmly settled belief, that the whiskers
and teeth, worn on the body, will act as a charm, making the wearer
proof against the attacks of tigers. The collar-bone too, is eagerly
coveted for the same reason.

During