INDIAN SHOOTING 261 



under his tree. Another advantage is that, his fire being 

 plunging, he can shoot all round without danger to the beaters. 

 If two or three guns are out, it is more than ever necessary to 

 try to post them well up off the ground. Having settled him- 

 self in his tree, the sportsman should send his gun-carrier to 

 some tree or rock at least a hundred yards behind him, so that 

 the course taken by a wounded animal can be observed. 

 Tracking in jungle is often very difficult work, and a sharp 

 gun-carrier posted well to the rear will often save a lot of 

 trouble. In some parts of the Himalayas native shikaris de- 

 clare that they often shoot sambur by selecting a likely path 

 and improvising a salt-lick, after the fashion of Laplanders 

 when they want to catch their tame reindeer. General Mac- 

 intyre describes the formation of a ' kar ' and his adventures 

 in watching one; he calls it a dirty way of killing ' jurrow.' 



Though sambur occasionally throw out abnormal tines, they 

 usually carry only three antlers on each horn a long brow 

 antler and two on top. The horns are generally shed about 

 the end of March, and are free from velvet about the beginning 

 of November. Major Ward's remarks about shooting small 

 stags are well worth quoting : 



Remember that sambur are not prolific; they seldom have 

 more than one fawn, and that it is four years before the young 

 stag assumes his complete shape of horn, and that he has still 

 three or four years to live before he can have a pair of antlers 

 worth preserving. He has quite sufficient chances against his 

 attaining an age of seven or eight years, without having to run the 

 risk of being shot down by the rifle bullet whilst still in his im- 

 mature state. 



Shooting hinds is quite unpardonable, the venison .being 

 not worth eating. 



XXIII. HOGDEER (Axis parcinus) 

 Native name : generally f Para ' 



Kinloch aptly describes this deer as the rabbit of Indian 

 battues. It is a long-bodied rather heavily built beast on short 



