found in Eastern Bengal. 93 



To the north-west of Dacca is a large jheel, not far from the 

 right bank of the Bunser river; it is surrounded with high 

 rushes, Avell known to the hog-hunter : many and many a 

 fine boar have I speared in this country ; and when first I 

 knew it wild buffaloes used to resort to it. The riding-down 

 of a wild Arnee Avith gun or pistols, before breech-loaders 

 Avere introduced, was grand fun. In this jheel I at times got 

 Spoonbills, Platalea leucorodia. These birds were very shy ; 

 I only obtained them, after many failures, by going early in 

 the morning and, regardless of pigs, ducks, and snipe, sneak- 

 ing very quietly through the reedy covert till I got within 

 range with a duck-gun. The birds are rare in these parts ; 

 and I looked on them as valuable acquisitions. Here, and 

 all down the Megna nearly to the sea, in autumn, the Pelican 

 Ibis {Tantalus leucocephalus) is rather common; it breeds in 

 the neighbourhood, as its young are often offered for sale — 

 noisy insatiable animals ; but the delicate rosy plumes of the 

 adult male birds are prettier than any feathers I. see exposed 

 for sale in the windows of London shops. In this jheel I have 

 seen Mycteria australis. It is occasionally visited by Grus 

 antigone, the Sarus Crane, which is not uncommon through- 

 out Dacca and Mymensing. This bird, so graceful in ap- 

 pearance and harmless in habits, is preserved by the natives. 

 There is a superstition that great misfortune will happen to 

 to any person who kills one. 



The common Crane [Grus cinerea) visits all this neigh- 

 bourhood yearly. This is a very hard bird to shoot with a 

 common gun ; but there is no better bird on the table, and 

 about Christmas time a young Crane is better than a Turkey. 



This jheel is often full of Ducks of various species. Anas 

 pcecilorhyncha breeds in the grass of the indigo-lands which 

 used to be found here before indigo- cultivation was stopped. 

 Pintails {Dafila acuta) come here regularly in the spring. 

 Blue-winged Teal {Querquedula circia) and Common Teal (Q. 

 crecca) are both here occasionally; and the Whistling Teal 

 [Dendrocygna aivsuree) is exceedingly common, so much so as 

 to be generally despised and left alone by the sportsman, who 

 slays all other Anatidse. 



