Jungle By- Ways in India 



who had evidently been one of the first to feel the 

 heat and to seek the grateful siesta. He lay 

 squatting down with his head almost, if not quite, 

 resting with the muzzle on the ground, probably to 

 ease the weight of those heavy horns, and he 

 appeared to be dozing somnolently. As I watched 

 him he suddenly raised it to scratch, with the 

 tip of the right antler, an irritating spot in his 

 body. He then returned to his former position. 



Young Barasingha stags sparring. 



Hard by was a young restless stag, and he it was 

 who is the cause of these lines. For he was 

 restlessly rubbing first his antlers and then the 

 crown of his head against a young sal sapling, 

 which from its appearance had had to brave other 

 assaults of this nature in days gone by ; for it 

 was almost barkless and nearly dead, save for a 

 few green leaves hanging limply to the twig or two 

 left. Another stag, also a young one of 2-3 years, 

 slowly drew near the first and endeavoured to 

 start the same game, and this led to a butting 

 exhibition, which in its way was rather fine, as 

 both the youngsters seemed to very rapidly lose 



40 



