1 6 By Mountain, Lake, and Plain 



ment. The Christmas dinner slowly rose in the 

 agitated manner usually affected by bustards. 

 But he had made the mistake of his life, and 

 was added to the slain. These bustards, 1 of 

 which we never shot more than five or six in 

 the season, fall very short in some of the most 

 prized attributes of "birds." They cannot jump 

 up and perform lightning zigzags, be driven 

 rocketing over trees, or, in fact, offer any sort 

 of sporting mark ; but after they have been hung 

 and carefully roasted, and served with bread 

 sauce and crumbs, all such deficiencies are for- 

 gotten and forgiven. 



In the course of a day's shooting in these parts, 

 a mysterious dark object is sometimes seen gliding 

 ghost-like about the bushes. Coming closer, one 

 finds a native shikari armed with his murderous 

 appliances. He will want, no doubt, to sell you 

 his day's bag, and so spare you further trouble 

 and cartridges. His killing apparatus consists 

 of a folding screen of dark cloth, in the middle 

 of which is a hole for the gun. When the shikari 

 sees partridges, he puts up the screen and sidles 

 along. The silly birds, intent on the strange 

 object, collect in a bunch, and the gunner 

 " browns " them on the ground. As to the 

 explanation of the bird's behaviour, it may be 



1 The Houbara. 



