THE CHILKA. 187 



almost always to be found on "Deer 

 Island." If the covert is beaten with 

 great care and perseverance, beginning 

 from the northern end, it is sometimes 

 possible to get a shot when the deer 

 double back on the beaters along the 

 open margin ; but the underwood is so 

 dense, and the deer show so much cun- 

 ning in creeping on their knees under 

 thickets or lying resolutely hidden in 

 impenetrable brakes, that small as is the 

 area of Deer Island, it affords a fairly 

 secure retreat to its inhabitants. 



I often observed alligators in the 

 channel between the island and the 

 mainland, probably they were able oc- 

 casionally to seize a deer as the herd 

 crosses. 



The sandy plain which separates the 



