276 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



tain was coming straight towards him, singing his war-song. 

 Over and over again were the glasses laid on him, but nothing 

 could be made out. The body was that of a royal, but the 

 horns were short, with no antlers visible. Apparently he was 

 a bad three-year-old. What did it mean ? If he were a big 

 royal the respect shown him by the other stags was intelligible 

 enough ; but why should they be afraid of a beast like that ? 

 Fairly puzzled, I crept back to look for the stag I had 

 originally come down after, which there was every reason to 

 believe was a lo-pointer. Not a sign of him could be seen, 

 but while pottering about in some long grass a pair of straight 

 horns suddenly appeared within forty yards of me. Confound 

 this brocket ! he has walked on top of me ; perhaps he may 

 just miss me ! No ! he comes straight on and looks me in the 

 face. Now the brute will drive everything away, so here goes 

 — and he drops in his tracks. A brocket ? Not a bit of it ; 

 twenty years old if he's a day, and his quaint old head is the 

 pick of the bag. 



The general colour of barasingh is much the same as that 

 of red deer, but is rather greyer, and the white patch on the 

 rump appears a little larger. Sterndale says it has a white 

 circle round the eyes, but the writer has never seen anything 

 more distinct of this kind than a ring slightly paler than the 

 rest of the head. -j 



The horns resemble those of the red deer, with the notable! 

 exception that with barasingh the bez antler appears to be the \ 

 fighting one, and is always longer and bigger than the brow \ 

 antler, while with red deer the reverse is the case. Sir Victor ; 

 Brooke says its call is just like that of a wapiti, and quite ; 

 different from that of a red stag. ' In the former it is a loud 1 

 squeal, ending in a more guttural tone; in the latter it is a ;; 

 distinct roar, resembling that of a panther.' According to the f| 

 writer'^ experience, the full call is seldom heard till the rutting ;l 

 season is at its height. When the stags first begin roaring the \ 

 call is comparatively short. Ward's remarks on the subject ■! 

 are well worth quoting : 'The noise a stag can make when ', 



