SPOTTED DEER 



it came to cold-blooded practice at a target. With a rifle 

 like a .303 practising is a pleasure, as there is no recoil. 



I am getting off the track again, I find, so let me get 

 back to the death of some more good bucks. I got my 

 record head not so very long ago, during a trip in company 

 with my friend Wallace Westland, in my favourite district, 

 Tamankaduwa. 



We had made a forced march of some miles one morn- 

 ing from camp to visit some " parks " we had not shot 

 over, and got there rather late in the morning. However 

 we sighted a herd as soon as we emerged from the forest 

 into the open, which I tried, but unsuccessfully, to stalk. 

 Farther on I caught sight of more deer amongst some 

 bushes and a long way off, which also vanished when we 

 tried to get nearer. 



Moving along very quietly, we had just come through 

 a fringe of bush when I saw a lovely buck stalking sedately 

 along, making for the forest, about 150 yards away, so 

 crouching down I made a run for a tree about 40 yards 

 nearer, which I reached without attracting his attention. 

 He was still walking along, however, so, steadying my rifle 

 against the tree-stem, I took careful aim, following him for 

 a moment with the bead, drew trigger, and down he 

 dropped. We ran up and I saw it had a big head, for the 

 north country, which I at once measure'd with a pocket steel 

 tape I always carry, and found to be : right, 29! inches ; left, 

 30^ inches, which pleased me much. Within half-an-hour 

 after this we suddenly came on another fine buck which 

 Westland dropped in its tracks, with a 12-bore rifle, at 

 about 50 yards. The antlers measured 26 inches. 



On another occasion in the same country, but this time 

 camping more centrally, I, Westland, and two trackers had 

 got into the parks before it was light enough to see our 



225 p 



