244 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport. 



sized male before he fell. I have known another shot 

 through the heart run for two hundred yards before 

 dropping. Steaks of the sambur, cooked like beef 

 are scarcely to be distinguished from the real article. 

 The marrow bones and tongue are unexceptional, but 

 the greater portion of the carcase is coarse, and as it 

 cannot be hung is very tough, so is seldom used in 

 cuisine if other flesh is procurable. The " bell " of a 

 rusa can be heard a long way off and when disturbed 

 by the approach of a tiger or some other dangerous 

 animal, they make the surrounding country resound 

 with this alarm. As they are essentially gregarious, 

 a stag is generally accompanied by several hinds. 

 The very old and therefore those worthy of the greater 

 attention of the sportsman are often, however, 

 " solitaire," like males of the bo vines, elephants, &c. 

 Although generally a timid animal, I have had a doe 

 stand and look steadily at me whilst I have, off 

 an elephant's back, fired three or four shots at her 

 head, the only part visible, the bullets striking the 

 trunks of the saplings amongst which she was stand- 

 ing without causing her to move a muscle ! I have shot 

 this animal in many parts of India, Assam and Burma, 

 and I once witnessed a fight between two stags which 

 is worth relating. 



I was on Bison Hill had in fact just arrived when 

 the shikarie sent with me by Linga Eeddy, said, if I 

 liked he could show me some deer not far off. So 

 taking my rifle, and giving an extra one to him, we 

 went along a spur of the lull leading towards the 

 gorge of the Godavery Eiver. We had to pass 

 through several patches of long grass, clumps of 

 bamboos, and at last, when about a mile from camp, 



