PAETRIDGES. 101 



sion was an hour on the Saturday evening, and from dawn till noon 

 on the Sunday, the rest of the time being occupied in getting to 

 and from the grounds. 



When shooting chukar, one must mark down a wounded bird 

 very carefully, or it will be lost. Many very remarkable disappear- 

 ances have occurred. Once, having winged a bird, and, owing to 

 shortage of ammunition, not wishing to expend another cartridge on 

 it, I gave chase. The bird kept just out of reach, so finally I took 

 my eyes off it as I stooped to pick up a stone. When I looked up 

 the bird was gone. It was on a bare hillside with next to no cover, 

 yet that bird had vanished as completely as if it had been swallowed 

 up in the earth. 1 went over the whole slope, foot by foot, but never 

 found my bird. 



On another occasion I dropped one into a ravine, and, though I 

 carefully marked the spot where it fell before descending, it took me 

 half an hour to find it. It had posed itself beside a rock and looked 

 so exactly like a stone that I passed and repassed it several times. 



The best sport may be had with these birds by using a dog, when 

 also one is not so likely to lose those biought down. 



Localities accessible to Tientsin sportsmen are not very numerous. 

 The whole of Shansi and the provinces westward form good chukar 

 grounds, as also do all the mountainous districts of Chihli. Very 

 good chukar shooting may be had round Kalgan, and I believe there 

 are a few birds on the hills at Tong-ku. Peking sportsmen often get 

 them in the hills at Nankou. 



