BUFFALO AND BISON 295 



advice of an old hunter. " Hit a bull just behind 

 the last rib and pretty high up near the spine and he 

 is yours." At this short range surely I could do 

 this. Slowly I put the bead on and pressed the 

 trigger. When the smoke cleared away the bull 

 was not there. I listened intently. Surely if he had 

 gone on I should hear him crashing through the 

 jungle. Cautiously I crept round the bamboo clump. 

 Oh, joy of joys ! there he lay a huge black mass ! 

 He had made one convulsive bound on taking the 

 bullet, and lay there as he fell. Puddoo, however, 

 touched my shoulder and pointed. There was no 

 doubt about it, he moved ; 'twas only an ear, but 

 'twas enough. I had better make sure, so I put 

 another bullet into the back of his neck and that was 

 the end of him. A splendid old solitary bull, 18 

 hands at the shoulder, and in splendid condition. 



SWAMP DEER BARASINGH, GoND 1 



This fine specimen of the deer tribe is to be found 

 in the whole of the sub-Himalayan regions of India, 

 from the Ganges valley to the extreme east of Assam, 

 where the Brahmapootra emerges from the Mismi 

 hills. It is also found in the sal forests of the 

 Central Provinces. In the Mandla district especially 

 it is numerous, and it is here that the finest heads 

 have been obtained. In the sub-Himalayan regions 

 the habitat of this deer is chiefly in the marshes, 



1 [This deer is included here as forming part of the bag in the Mundla bison- 

 hunting campaign. ED.] 



