INDIAN SHOOTING 329 



XLI. GOORAL {Nemorhccdus Goral) 



Generally, 

 ' Gooral ' or ' Ban hakri ' ; Chumba^ ' /*y ' ; Cashmere, ' Nain,^ ' iV^rw ' 



This is quite the most sporting of the minor beasts of the 

 chase. It is pretty generally distributed along the whole of 

 the lower slopes of the Himalayas from the Indus river to the 

 Kachin hills in Burmah ; horns of both gooral and serow were 

 found by the Phunkan column in 1889. In Cashmere they 

 are scarce, a few only being found in the Kajnag and Pir 

 Punjal ranges, but from Kishtwar to the south-east they are 

 pretty plentiful, especially in Chumba, Gurwhal, the Sewalik 

 range, and the valleys of the Ganges, Jumna, and Tonse 

 rivers. They seem indifferent to heat, and abound among the 

 hot precipitous' cliffs formed by the big rivers cutting their 

 way through the hills, the Tonse seeming to suit their re- 

 quirements admirably. Wherever a landslip has occurred, 

 wherever there is a steep rocky slope covered with long grass 

 and occasional bushes and pines, there gooral are sure to be 

 found. Higher up the hills, up to about 8,000 ft. above the 

 sea level, they are often seen on the short turf at the tops of 

 the ridges or in the pine forests, but rocks they must have close 

 to, and the more precipitous the cliff the more likely it is ta 

 hold them. 



Wary as gooral are, they will often live close to villages, and 

 do not mind the presence of flocks with their attendant shep- 

 herds, or hillmen cutting wood and grass near their haunts. 

 They seem to trust to the steep broken ground they frequent 

 for protection. Gooral, as a rule, are fairly easy animals to 

 get a shot at, but they present by no means a large target, and 

 are very tenacious of life ; a wounded one will often tax the 

 best nerves to follow. Gooral seem to become particularly 

 attached to certain localities, and will stand a good deal of 

 bullying and firing at before they leave the ground for good, 

 and as they are to be found within easy reach from many of 



