DRINKING HABITS OF WILD ANIMALS. 253 



plain found many of the antelope tracks, but bad no time to follow 

 them up ; a native with me saw the herd two or three days back. 

 This locality is at the extreme south of Bengal, lat. 19"o0 N. and 

 long. 85'15. Everywhere in the plain are hollows where water is 

 now and constantly standing for several months in the year ; there 

 are also pools among the sandhills close to the sea, what the Telugu 

 people call ' Dibbula,' and these are common all down the coast. 

 Beside these sources of supply there are also paddy fields having 

 water now * in them and a flourishing crop on them. The ordnance 

 map shows the land occupied by them at the present day to have been 

 once a mere swamp. No doubt the struggle for existence has caused 

 them to be reclaimed and cultivated. Thus the antelope of these 

 parts have plenty of water for the present ; they are no doubt 

 cousins or descendants of the herds which are or were common about 

 Puri, 50 miles north up the coast, and there is nothing to prevent 

 their migrating there periodically. In 1840, as recorded by the 

 then Chaplain of Cuttack, the natives used to spread a net across the 

 strip, where it was narrow enough for the purpose, and drive them 

 into it. The strip is now too wide for this plan, however ; still it 

 remains to be seen whether there is a water-supply for them in the 



hot weather Why should not antelope swim across to the 



mainland for a drink as undoubtedly do the spotted deer that live on 

 the Chilka islands ? In the hot weather the water at the south of the 

 lake is moved up to the north by the strong south winds, and Sir W. 

 Hunter records in his ' Orissa ' that the level of the lake is at the 

 north many inches higher than it is at the south owing to this con- 

 tinuous pressure of air on it .1 do not know if antelope swim, but 



possibly they can and may do so under pressure from thirst and other- 

 wise At all events the antelope at the southern end of the Chilka 



Lake could easily obtain fresh water by going southwards over the 

 Presidency boundary where the lake ends, and they would find it 

 beyond their strip. Apparently, then, the antelope of the Chilka 

 Lake have only to travel in order to obtain water.f And as there are 

 paddyfields, perhaps a hot weather crop is raised on them, as it is in 

 other parts of the country. There are also wells, according to Mr. 

 Lydekker's own showing. As there are wells, they are presumably 



* I have not the date of this letter. 

 t Very probably there are seasonal migratioua to keep within reach of water. 



