306 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



and get to him without being seen by the others. A solitary bull is 



quite easy to stalk if he has not seen you. According to my experience 



their eyesight is more to be feared than their nose. Capt. Forsyth 



expresses the contrary opinion. The air is frequently quite still, 



and the grass and trees I think diffuse and dissipate the taint your 



presence gives the wind in a much shorter distance than would be 



the case in open ground. Even if you are tracking down wind they 



seldom bolt till you are within 300 or 400 yards, and you generally 



hear them making off. The best way of finding out from what 



direction the little wind there is coming from, is to lick the palm 



of your hand, and turn it slowly round ; a cold feeling will strike 



it directly it meets the wind. Of course if there is a nullah or any 



large rocks which will conceal you, take advantage of them. If not 



it is a mistake to crouch ; remain erect with the arms close to 



the body and the legs close together, and stand perfectly still if the 



bison turns his head towards you. It is of the utmost importance 



to keep the arms close to the body and the legs close together* 



when advancing or standing. All sudden movements should be 



avoided. If a bison looks up at you when you are stalking him, 



you must remain absolutely motionless in whatever attitude you 



happen to be. An irresistible longing to scratch my nose always 



seizes me on these occasions. If he is unsuspicious you advance 



slowly, keeping a tree if possible between you and his head. You 



should always make a stalk alone. A native always points to the 



nearest animal, whether cow or not, as the largest bull that ever 



was seen, and he gets nervous at close quarters. Never circle round 



bison when in sight of them, but go straight in. If there is a better 



approach from another quarter retreat till you are out of sight and 



then go round. If you are a moderately good stalker you can easily 



get within 100 yards, but the surest shots are made by getting as 



close as you can, and you should therefore go on without firing as 



long as the bull remains unsuspicious. I have more than once got 



within ten yards of bulls lying down, and generally get within 



50 yards of a solitary bull. Herds are not so easily approached within 



50 yards, but you can almost always get within 1 00 yards. Bison 



are easily killed with a single ball if hit in the right place ; for a 



broadside shot fire low down behind the elbow, or high up just below 



the backbone, where the dorsal ridge terminates, or through the centre 



of the neck. One shot from an Express rifle in any of these spots 



is enough. Opinions differ as to the best rifle. I began with a 12- 



