122 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. 



" Kok-kok kok-kok ! " as a peacock, scattering the dew in 

 glittering drops, burst forth clamourously, and, rising 

 clear of the trees, sailed ponderously away down the khora^ 

 his grand tail streaming behind him, brilliant in the beams 

 of the newly-risen sun. 



Here and there up the valley rang the loud " Kuck-kaa- 

 kiya-kuck'm ! " of a jungle- cock, and as we reached the spot 

 where he had been shouting his soul out, the wary bird 

 might be seen running swiftly off through the leafless under- 

 wood. Further on we surprised a couple of barking deer. 

 Leaping over the dripping grass, heads low, and round, fat, 

 white-scutted rumps high in air at each bound, they popped 

 into the nala y and, hopping up the far bank, stood suddenly, 

 artful little dodgers, just behind some tree trunk or bush ; 

 then, with a short hoarse bark, off up-hill again. 



The clear fresh morning air resounded with the notes of 

 birds and the screaming of the little rosy-headed parrakeets 

 that swept along the hillsides to settle in a cloud on some 

 favourite tree. By this time we had reached the little pass, 

 or khind, by which the stag of which we were in search 

 usually mounted to his day retreat ; and I had already 

 began to fear that he must have taken another path this 

 morning, or be already couched, and to inwardly curse the 

 annoyingly nocturnal habits of this fine species of the deer 

 tribe, that made it so difficult to find him after the sun was 

 up, when, simultaneously with some of the men, my eye 

 caught sight of two dark objects on the shadowy side of a 

 little spur, and the glasses showed me two sambar creeping 

 slowly along and up one of those narrow game-paths so 

 common in these hills. As the rearmost animal passed 

 across an open space, I noted with accelerated pulse that it 

 was the stag, and that the reports of the Korkus as regards 

 the size of his antlers had been in no way exaggerated. 



