HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



Wilkins watched at this hole again next night, and bagged 

 a good bear neatly by a raking shot, whilst I discovered 

 another hole rock-hole this time about a mile from our 

 camp, at which I watched and also bagged a bear, the only 

 one which came. When my bear arrived he evidently 

 spotted me, because he had to come up a sloping ledge of 

 rock to the water-hole and could hardly help glancing aloft. 

 He turned to go, but too late, for my shot tumbled him 

 head over heels down the rock as dead as a herring. I 

 also knocked over a porcupine which was scooting about 

 all over the big rock at which I was watching, being 

 posted on a stage in a biggish tree high overhead. 



My readers must not think such a number of bears as 

 those enumerated in some of my experiences visit every 

 water-hole. At many you may draw a blank, and at others 

 perhaps only one or two may turn up ; but there is usually 

 a chance of something leopard or pig at least, not count- 

 ing elk or small fry like porcupines, cats, &c. whilst every 

 living thing seen will prove a source of interest to a keen 

 sportsman and observer. 



However, one cannot always be certain even of 

 " something," for I distinctly remember an August trip 

 undertaken by Brockman and myself some years ago, 

 during which we visited many water-holes well known to 

 me, but not a single thing did we see to shoot at any 

 one of them. 



The season had been too wet, and there was water 

 enough in odd pools here and there in the jungle to pre- 

 clude the necessity of animals coming to any particular 

 hole or pool to drink. 



Again, in 1904, we went a trip together during August 

 and visited some of the most remote and celebrated holes 

 and pools in Tamankaduwa, but were once more disap- 



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