140 By Mountain , Lake, and Plain 



some resemblance. Sand-grouse, of I think all 

 varieties, abound, and fair bags can be made by 

 taking cover in the early morning where they 

 are in the habit of coming to water, the same 

 plan as that adopted in the celebrated shoots in 

 Bikanir. On all low hills, near cultivation, one 

 finds chakor and seesee partridges (Caccabis chukor 

 and Ammoperdix bonhami), and good sport can 

 be had driving the former and walking up the 

 latter. The grey quail is also a resident of East 

 Persia, and I have no doubt if it were possible 

 to use call birds in the crops, as is done in India, 

 good bags could be made. 1 When on the march, 

 however, the real stand-by for the pot is the rock 

 pigeon. They love the cool obscurity of the 

 karez wells, found near every village, 2 and by 



1 Native shikaris, to allure the birds, use a quail pipe, an instru- 

 ment ingeniously and most delicately made by stretching the skin 

 of a mallard's neck over a little wooden drum. The quail's charac- 

 teristic little note is exactly imitated by tapping the drum with 

 the finger. 



2 A karez (or kanat) is the ingenious arrangement of wells that is 

 used all over Persia for obtaining a supply of water. A likely 

 point is selected on a sloping plain or valley. The slope is essential, 

 though it may be so slight as to be imperceptible to the eye. If 

 water is found, another well is sunk a few yards lower down, and 

 the bottoms of the two wells are connected by an underground 

 channel. Another well is dug, and the bottoms again connected, 

 and so on till the slope of the ground brings the water to the sur- 

 face. Practically all the water supplying every town and village 

 on the plateau of Persia is obtained in this way. 



