KASHMIR VALLEYS 229 



its scent pod, and there is some fear of it being entirely 

 killed out unless a great deal more carefully preserved 

 than at present. 



The Indian wild boar (Sus cristalus) is common, 

 though generally retiring to heights over three thousand 

 feet during the hot weather. I saw them once or twice. 

 They are much dreaded by the natives, as they do so 

 much damage to the crops. The Dogras and the Sikhs, 

 otherwise not flesh eaters, consider this pork a great 

 delicacy. 



Of birds there is great variety, and the game ones are 

 but little diminished, the natives caring for them only 

 for their gay plumage or sweet song, and hardly naming 

 those that do not possess these attractive points. Their 

 orioles and kingfishers, swallows and larks, they love, 

 and would never think of killing, and so, on the whole, 

 the winged class have a happy time. 



Of pheasants the most sought after by sportsmen 

 are the ram chikor (Tetrogallus himalayensis), the 

 beautiful monaul pheasant (Lophophorus refulgens), 

 and the caccabis chukar (the chikor partridge), the only 

 true partridge to be found in Kashmir. The most 

 common of this family is the koklas, that I often met 

 with in the forests, its Latin title being Pucrasin 

 biddulphi. 



The ordinary pigeon is the Columba intermedia, the 

 blue rock pigeon of the plains. There are many hand- 

 some varieties less common, the Columba hodgsoni and 

 the C '. leuconota. 



The woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) breeds in large 

 quantities in the valley, and then disappears into space, 

 small quantities only being shot. Various other snipe 

 the common, jack snipe, etc. are found. 



