192 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HLST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



S'o we wander on. now throngh a bit of virgin forest, now 

 through a miistard held, and then throngh a piece of burnt grass, 

 the black surface shewing the pugs of a tiger who has passed by 

 some two or three hours eai^lier. We follow them to the stream 

 where the tiger has had his drink, and then return to the forest in 

 which we soon lose all trace of him. 



Changing my rifle once more for the smooth bore and leaving 

 stripes to rest in comfort, we turned and worked down the opposite 

 side of the stream towards camp. The first birds we put up are 

 some Jungle-Fowl who have been drinking before retiring into the 

 forest for their midday siesta ; as they fly past us I knock the tail 

 feathers out of the cock bird leading them, with a real bad shot, 

 and bring down a second with a straighter one. The tailless cock 

 and the others have gone down in the jungle just ahead of us, so 

 spreading out, we walk them out toward the next jhum exevj now 

 and then hearing them as they hurry forward, riistling over the 

 fallen leaves. Before we get to the edge of the jungle, they have 

 cleared off" without giving another chance, but a single cock Kalij 

 which has tarried a little longer than the others gets up just as we 

 too emerge from the trees, and is promptly bowled over and 

 gathered. The mustard here is so high, up to our waists, that we 

 may find some bii'ds lying up in it, and accordingly we work 

 through it in line, mj^self on the inside next the forest, and a few 

 yards ahead of the men. Within the next few minutes two birds 

 run through the mustard and gain the jungle in front of me without 

 giving a chance, and then a barking deer jumps up and comes 

 bounding past me about 40 yards ofl", barking as he starts, and 

 barking again as he gains cover and stands, inside def3"ing me. 

 He is still barking as we pass where he stands and I can hear the 

 stamp of his forefeet before panic again seizes him, and he dashes 

 away further into the depth of the forest. Nothing more shews up 

 until r have reached the end of the mustard, and stand on the yard 

 or two of bare ground which separates it from the nearest trees. 

 As the men come nearer, two or three Jungle-Fowl flit across it, and 

 then there is a tremendous commotion as nearly a dozen Inrds, Jungle- 

 Fowl and Pheasants mixed together rise into the air. A hastj^ shot at 

 one of the former, not onlj'- knocks it over, but also accounts for an 

 unlucky hen pheasant which has come into the line of fire, and a 

 second shot brings to bag another hen pheasant which falls, a cloud of 

 flying featliers, with a bang right on to the man vrith my luncheon 

 basket. After he has righted himself and collected my scattered 

 provisions, we proceed on our way, and by noon, when we stop to 

 have a rest and lunch, 1 have managed to bag twelve Pheasants, six 

 Jungle-Fowl, three Imperial Pigeon, and a couple of ver^'' evil- 

 smelling White-eyed Pochard, which, however, are not disdained 

 by the coolies. 



