I UK (.A ME UIRD^ OF IXDIA. 191 



Ab tar as 1 rcnieniber sfix brace ot" Kalij i'lieasaul. is tlie big^jest 

 bag 1 have ever made of these birds and this was made over practi- 

 cally the same ground as that which is described in the article on 

 Jungle-Fowl shooting in the last number of the Journal. 



As a rule, when shooting along these mustard fields bordering the 

 Kopili River one got two or three Jungle-Fowl to one I'heasant, 

 but this time the reverse was the case. 



My companions (on the occasion of which I write) consisted of a 

 Mikir tracker, and a second Mikir with my rifle, and an odd man 

 to work as beater, jiingle cutter, luncheon carrier, &c. lliis M^as 

 quite enough for all the beating we should re(]uire, for the strips 

 were mostly narrow bits along the banks, shut in on one side by very 

 heavy evergreen forest, and on the other by the shingly banks of 

 the stream. Starting just after daybreak, our first '• j/mm," or 

 open bit of ciiitivation, was occupied only by some Jungle-Fowl 

 who were the first to detect our meeting, and gave no chance of a 

 shot, but as we passed through the next bit of forest, a hasty but 

 lucky shot right and left brought down two fat Bronzed-backed 

 Imperial Pigeon, and some quarter of a mile further on we came 

 to a second mustard field. In this we could see some birds feeding 

 about half-way down, though we could not make out exactly Avhat 

 they were in the tall mustard. Leaving ni}"- men under cover, I 

 went forward inside the jungle about 2U yards, and when I judged 

 1 had gone far enough, notified them with a low whistle to come 

 on. Sneaking along just inside the frings of forest I kept about 

 the same distance, or a little more ahead of the men, and when 

 frightened by the latter, the pheasant got up, had an easy right and 

 left, adding two more birds to the bag. My next shot was at a 

 hen Jungle-Fowl, as she scurried through the mustard into shelter, 

 just giving me a momentary glance as she left the former. Pick- 

 ing her up, we then went on through a patch of semi-burnt cane 

 and grass, missing an old cock Jungle- roA^l as he got up with a 

 cackle and tremendous fluriy on the far side of some charred canes. 

 Two more long snap-shots at running birds are tinkered, and 

 then I have a bit of luck, for we step out of the jungle into a mus- 

 tard field, right into a family part\" of Kalij, who are scratching 

 round for food just outside the forest. Quite overcome by the 

 suddenness of our appearance, the birds, 6 in number, take at once 

 to flight, scattering in all directions, but two drop to my shots, 

 and two others who have gone towards the stream are tin-ned back 

 by the sight of some men fishing, and wheel round to their original 

 cover, giving me splendid high overhead shots, and both coming 

 down tremendo\is thumps in response thereto. One of these, how- 

 ever, is a runner, and for some time evades my men in their efforts 

 to catch her, until at last a luckily flung stick bowls her over as 

 she dodges from one bush to another. 



