194 GAME-BIRDS OF INDIA 



fixed for some seconds. This is especially the case about mid-day, 

 ■when the sun is nearly vertical and no shadow is thrown by the 

 squatting bird. Sometimes they try another plan, they get behind 

 a single bush, and, as you circle round, they do the same, always 

 keeping the bush between themselves and the sportsman ; here, 

 unless the sun is quite vertical, their shadow projected on the 

 ground, apart from that of the bush, is sure, at certain positions in 

 the circle, to betray them, and a shot through the bush brings them 

 to bag. 



In some parts of the country the Houbara greatly affect fields 

 of mustard and other crops yielding the oil-seeds of commerce, of 

 which there is a vast variety, known by half-a-dozen different names 

 in almost every province. 



" When these fields are well-grown, and are, say, a little higher 

 than the bird itself stands, exceptionally good sport may at times 

 be obtained. 



They cannot run here, the growth is too dense, and a line of 

 guns and beaters, sweeping a large field of this kind into which a 

 flock has been marked, will often account for the whole party, 

 flushing them like so many pheasants out of a dense turnip-field, 

 with buckwheat lines along a cover-side." 



Mr. M. M. Currie has sent me the following interesting note on 

 the occurrence of the Houbara in Ludhiana and Dhera Ismail Khan. 

 The "Bustard," i.e., the Lesser Bustard or Obara, commonly called 

 " Tilur " in the Punjab, was pretty common in the Dhera Ghazi 

 Khan where I shot a certain number in the cold weather of 1908-09. 

 Thej' were most common in the dry tract at the foot of the Sulimans, 

 where they seemed to be especially fond of lying up in a kind of 

 coarse grass locally known as ghamm. Later in the year they 

 haunt the fields sown with oil-seeds {taramira) . I have also seen 

 them in the lowlands down by the Indus. The usual number seen 

 together was three or four, but once or twice I have seen as many 

 as a dozen together. The method of shooting most often employed 

 is with camels. The sportsman dismounts, and taking cover behind 

 the camel, continues to approach in circles till within range, when 

 he advances towards the spot where the bird is lying till he puts 

 it up. 



" The best bag I ever saw made in this manner was by a com- 

 panion of mine who got six birds one day, whilst I, not so fortunate, 

 shot but one. It is said to be possible at times to walk them up in 

 the oil-seeds, but I never did so with any success." 



