Big-Game Hunting

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23061, 11 June 1938, Page 4 (Supplement)

Big-Game Hunting

By L.B.

A BOOK of travel and adventure, "Jungle Trails in India" by Sir John Hewett, formerly Lieutenant-Governor of the Central Provinces of India and member of the Governor-General's Council, is one that is informative, chatty and full of the records of the author's exciting experiences. Sir John began his big-game hunting exploits not ns one of the exalted personages of India whoso sport is found for him, but as a raw junior who had to fincl out the ways of the jungle for himself. During the long years of his distinguished service in India, Sir John took part in many kinds of sport but especially in that of tiger _ hunting which lie describes in his reminiscences as "the finest sport in the world." His victims •were frequently tigers of extremely bad character; in short, some of' them were man-eaters of a hopelessly-confirmed type which had terrorised whole districts and -had shown almost super-human cuuning in eluding their pursuers. That tigers took a heavy toll of human lifo was shown in the statistics for British India covering a recent period of five years. In quoting these, Sir John states that 7000 deaths ,are reported to have been caused by tigers, the largest number having taken place in the Madras Presidency. Up to the beginning of the 19th century, tigers infested certain parts of India to such an extent as to make them uninhabitable.

War on India's M

Wo are told by the writer, however, that the leopard, though only a third the weight of a tiger, can become even a greater menace, and a case is quoted where a leopard's depredations extended over 200 square miles of a native State in the Central Provinces, in the course of two years more than 100 women and children were killed. It was very seldom, however, that it attacked a man.

The book is not only a record of biggame hunting, told in a conversational though at times somewhat jumpy style, but it is full of interesting observations on wild life —plants, birds, snakes, animals —and the ways of the jungle peoples. • Although the writer deals mainly with events in th» United (formerly North-Western) Provinces of Agra and Oudh, many tales are told of hunting in the Central Provinces and in Cooeii Behar. Incidentally ho mentions Lord Galway, present Governor-General of New Zealand, as taking part in one of the shoots.

A graphic account is also given in the book by Sir Johu's daughter. Mrs. St. John Atkinson, of an expedition she, took part in from Srinagar to Leh and back again, a journey of some 500 miles largely through mountainous countrv. On several tiger shooting expeditions Mrs. Atkinson accompanied her father and met with considerable success. Throughout the book Sir John speaks with much respect of the tiger's intelligence and courage. He also has an immense admiration for elephants. "Jungle Trails itr India," by Sir John Hewett. (Methuen.)