THE NARBADA VALLEY. 59 



head off with a charge of shot ; when I fouDcl that the 

 snake had been in the act of swallowing a rat, of which 

 the hind-legs and tail were protruding from his jaws, so 

 that his repeated lunges at the dogs had fortunately 

 been harmless. All these spaniels were famous ratters, 

 and had no doubt been attracted by the cobra's mouth- 

 ful, for they generally had, like all dogs of any experience 

 in India, a wholesome dread of the snake tribe. I never 

 lost any of these dogs by an accident, though exposed to 

 all the dangers of panthers, hyenas, wolves, suakes, and 

 crocodiles; and all of them lived to a good age, in 

 excellent health. As with men, English dogs keep 

 healthy enough if properly treated in accordance with 

 the climate. 



Of larger game, the principal animal met with in the 

 settled parts is the black antelope, '^' which has probably 

 followed the clearings made by the immigrant races. 

 The aversion of this animal to thick uncleared jungle 

 has made it, in the Hindii sacred literature, a type of 

 the Aryan pale, of the land fitted for the occupation of 

 the fair-skioned races ; and the appropriate seat of the 

 devotee is still upon its black and white skin. It is too 

 well known to require any minute description. Suffice 

 it to say, that not even in Africa — the land of antelopes 

 — is there any species which surj^asses the " black buck " 

 in loveliness or grace. In Central India, although this 

 antelope attains the fall size of body, the horns of the 

 buck (the female is hornless and of a fawn colour) rarely 

 exceed a length of 22 inches. I have shot one with 

 horns 24^ inches, and seen a pair that measured 26 

 inches. The longest horns are probably attained in 

 Giijerat, and about Bhurtpiir in Northern India. In all 

 * Anfclnpe cervicapra. 



