176 THE TRIBES ON MY FRONTIER. 



than is good for her ; the lean native fairly takes to her 

 wings like the guinea-fowls ; the ducks tumble along with 

 a great deal of both leg and wing action ; the portly tur- 

 key trots like a baggage camel ; the pigeons come down in 

 a cloud ; and, at last, the sitting hen leaves her very eggs 

 and rushes out with much ostentatious clucking. Even 

 Impudence, the kid while yet he was knew the sound, 

 and scampered down, his long ears dancing, to pick 

 up grains of gram. Not that I feed my fowls on gram ; if 

 they are to be fed on any one grain, let it be paddy ; but 

 there is a mixture, consisting of the sweepings of the 

 threshing-floors, sold under the name of mattra, and where 

 this can be had I recommend it. It is cheaper than any 

 single kind of grain, and contains a variety which is most 

 wholesome. The pigeons find among it moog and mut, the 

 peas that their souls love ; the fowls can have their choice ; 

 while for the young chickens there is bajree, with other 

 small grains. So they scramble like children for sweeties, 

 hitting one another, roaring out when hit, or passing it on ; 

 and all the while feeding against time. The master of the 

 ceremonies is that red kullum cock, named the Sergeant. 

 The kulhim, or game fowl, is the only breed in this part 

 of India at least to which any attention has been paid ; 



