IN BURMAH 331 



The daily programme of bison in the cold weather, 

 such as it is in Lower Burmah, seems to be pretty 

 much the same ; and the laudable regularity of the 

 solitary bull's habits enables you at all events to 

 come within range of him, exercising any ordinary 

 care. Wind serving, the shikari may lead you within 

 a few yards of a bull in fairly thick jungle. The 

 first shot I ever had at a bison was through a bush 

 which intervened between the beast and myself when 

 we were some ten or twelve paces apart. I could see 

 his fore-legs, and with the misguided experimental 

 ardour of a green hand let him have it through the 

 bush, firing where I thought his shoulder should be ; 

 but the honest tale of early blunders is long, and 

 space is short. 



The bison, when left undisturbed, drowses away 

 the best part of the day in the jungle, displaying, so 

 far as my experi^fice goes, decided preference for 

 high ground, perhaps because the hill-tops are cooler 

 than the valleys. At dusk he pulls himself together 

 and starts feeding, wallowing and otherwise enjoying 

 himself ; and if there be within reasonable distance 

 of his dormitory low swampy ground where the 

 kyaing grass flourishes, he is sure to pay it a visit. 

 He has generally finished eating by daybreak, and 

 the first gleam of dawn sees him plodding up the 

 hill to go back to bed, chew the cud, and sleep. It 

 is his well-known weakness for the thick, juicy stems 

 of the kyaing grass that furnishes the key to your 

 proceedings. 



The best plan is to pitch the camp a mile or 



VOL. II Z 



