INDIAN SHOOTING 275 



improve the shooting all round. At present, by allowing buf- 

 faloes to graze on it, they are depriving it of half its value. 



In spite of all drawbacks stags are still to be got, but in no 

 quantity. Two good heads in a month's shooting are as many 

 as any sportsman can reasonably hope to get, and if one of 

 those measures 40 ins., whether with ten or twelve tines, he is 

 to be congratulated. 



The general impression about barasingh seems to be that a 

 full-grown stag always has twelve points, but this the writer 

 believes to be entirely erroneous. I have hunted over some 

 of the best ground in Cashmere on different occasions, and am 

 of opinion that the number of points usually found in full- 

 grown heads depends entirely upon the locality. The stags 

 which do not leave the Cashmere Valley, i.e. harbour on the 

 hills overlooking it, and those that live to the south-east, often 

 run to twelve and sometimes more points ; while the stags 

 which harbour across the Kishengunga rarely run to more than 

 ten points. These stags appear to develop ten points very 

 early ; the poorest head the writer ever shot was a lo-pointer. 

 I shot a young stag with only six points once, under circum- 

 stances that gave no opportunity of previously judging its head, 

 and it had far longer and better horns than the above-mentioned 

 lo-pointer. Crummle and antelope heads are also rare. I 

 once shot a very heavy old stag with a most curious antelope 

 head, the horns having not a tine on them, and being twisted 

 more like a markhor's than a stag's. The old fellow was abso- 

 lute king of the valley, too, and not another stag dared answer 

 his challenge. It was very puzzling at the time. While stalk- 

 ing another stag which had called once among some thick 

 bushes but would not show, the old antelope head appeared 

 far up the hill, sauntering leisurely down, and challenging as 

 he came. Every deer within hearing seemed to hide from 

 him at once. There was a small 6-point stag with a hind 

 cowering behind some bushes about two hundred yards to 

 my right, while the deer that he had originally started after 

 were keeping hidden somewhere to his left, and the old chief- 



