HUNTING IN THE INDIES 191 



shoulders. About one in ten thousand has a "horn," 

 — that is to say, the frontal bone projects to such an 

 extent that the skin forms a callous projection be- 

 tween, and rather above the eyes. The natives 

 attach many fabulous properties to these " horns," 

 and value them accordingly. I have only seen one 

 in my life. 



A jackal is for one reason an exasperating and a 

 difficult beast to hunt. This, that he never seems 

 to know his own mind about where he is going. 

 Consequently, the Indian huntsman has nothing 

 whatever to guide him in making a cast. Given a 

 check in England, unless the fox has obviously been 

 headed, the line is, ninety-nine times out of a hun- 

 dred, " on." In my Indian experience I only twice 

 knew a jackal to be headed, but I have frequently 

 known one in the middle of a run turn off at right 

 anoies for no reason at all. In Eno^land, ao-ain, a 

 fox makes for a certain "point," which is, or should 

 be, known to the huntsman. A jackal, unless found 

 near rocky hills — for which he invariably makes — 

 has no point, and seems to wander aimlessly on till 

 he is either killed or lost. 



I now come to the hares. The Indian hare 

 (L. imjicaudatus) may be summed up in a very 

 few words. It is useless for hunting, equally so for 

 coursing, and not worth eating. It is not want of 

 scent which renders it useless for hunting, for the 

 scent is very strong, and fox-hounds are very apt to 

 run riot on it. What renders it useless for hunting, 

 and nearly so for coursing, is its propensity for going 

 to ground. It never loses any opportunity of doing 

 this, and, as the plains of India are covered with 

 holes in all directions, it does not lack opportunity, 



