INDIAN SHOOTING 257 



where Europeans are scarce, some of the herd are sure to begin 

 pondering on the advisability of charging him, but before they 

 can make up their minds, the object of their attentions has 

 got beyond reach and they give up the problem. The 

 average size of a good bull's horns is about 40 ins. in length 

 by 1 6 ins. in girth, or about 8 ft., measuring from the tip of 

 one horn round the curve across the forehead and up the 

 other horn. It is somewhat unfortunate that sportsmen should 

 have selected this style of measurement, as it gives a poor idea 

 of the comparative size of horns. 



Forsyth and Kinloch both agree that a front shot is rarely 

 successful against buffaloes, owing to the angle at which their 

 heads are carried and the enormous thickness of their chests. 

 Forsyth recommends hardened bullets, as he found two-ounce 

 bullets of soft lead propelled by eight drachms of powder flattened 

 on their shoulders, pulverising the bone but not penetrating to 

 the vital parts. Williamson describes shooting buffaloes out of 

 boats in flood-time, and says that the point to aim at in this 

 sport is to get the beast into such deep water that he cannot 

 lower his head to use his horns. 



As for using dogs for buffalo, Forsyth's experience with a 

 wounded bull was not a happy one ; he writes : ' The dogs 

 were now loosed, and bayed round him till he began to chase 

 them all round the field ; but as soon as our heads appeared 

 over the fringe of grass, he left them and charged down at our- 

 selves.' In spite of one of the dogs pinning him by the nose, 

 the bull made good his charge, knocking Forsyth's rifle out of 

 his hand and upsetting his companion. 



XXII. SAMBUR (Rusa Aristotelis] 

 Generally, ' Sambur ' or ' Maha ' / in Gunv/iat, ' Jerow ' or ' Barasingh ' 



The sambur is found throughout the lower slopes of the 

 Himalayas from the eastern bank of the Sutlej river (Kinloch 

 points out that the Sutlej seems to be its boundary), and 

 extends all over India and Ceylon to the south, and through 



II. S 



