282 BIG GAME SHOOTING ; 



a stalk are, first, to try and get a clear chance at about sixty , 

 yards, and not creep up too close to the stag before firing ; \ 

 secondly, to avoid going straight downhill on to a stag. A ' 

 stone dislodged, a pheasant or musk deer disturbed, will be 

 sure to start him off. On the other hand, if the stalker is \ 

 moving down sixty or seventy yards to one side, any slight .! 

 contretemps does not necessarily spoil his chance of a shot. \ 

 Every native shikari, if conducting a stalk, will try to land his 1 

 master between the beast's horns if possible. As soon as he sees ^ 

 a stag, he will begin to try to point him out, with the result ., 

 that before his master can get his wind and take any aim to \ 

 speak of, the beast is at full gallop down the hill. The second | 

 point never enters into a native's calculations at all. Ward says 

 that natives can imitate the call, and draw stags, but systematic 

 calling as practised in the Tyrol is practically unknown in 

 Cashmere, and a proficient in the art would undoubtedly have 

 success. The point to aim at in calling is to pitch your note 

 a little weaker than the answering stag, so as to give him confi- 

 dence in accepting the challenge. 



The stags generally cease calling towards the end of October?' 

 (Ward says 20th), and after that there is little chance of getting . 

 sport till the snow drives them down, or, failing an early fall,']! 

 till the spring. I 



Major Ward says a well-shaped lo-point head of 40 ins.t 

 should not be despised, but the majority of heads shot, according- 

 to the writer's experience, do not average more than 37 ins. ; j 

 40 ins. and over being exceptional heads. I 



XXVIII. THE SIKKIM STAG {Cervus affinis vel Wallichi) 



Native name : '■ ShonJ' Habitat : Eastern Himalayas ; J7iil>et, in the 



Choombi Valley, on the Sikkim side of Thibet {Sterndale) li 



None of the heads of this variety in the British Museum ] 

 have more than ten points. Their colour, according to Jerdon, ; 

 is a fine clear grey in winter, with a moderately large disc ; pale ( 

 rufous in summer, quite different from the rich mouse colour ; 



