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VI. More about Wildfowl. 



: Up they rose with cry and clamour, 

 Rose up from the reedy islands, 

 With a whirr and beat of pinions, 

 From the water flags and lilies." 



LONGFELLOW. 



DURING the course of our first winter in Seistan, 

 I discovered a way of circumventing the wily grey- 

 lag that was much superior, as regards results, 

 to the plan described in the previous sketch. 

 Round the Hamun are large areas that are under 

 water for a few months only each year. On these 

 there grows a species of coarse grass, called in the 

 vernacular, ashk, the roots of which are much 

 appreciated by geese ; and when just submerged, 

 so that the surface becomes soft and the roots can 

 be pulled up, the lags congregate there in enor- 

 mous numbers. The native shikari's plan is to 

 dig holes in the ground under the water, heap 

 the earth round, and then bale the water out. 

 Thus you have a pit, the presence of which 

 is only marked by a little ring of earth, over 



