372 WILD SPORTS OF BURMA AND ASSAM 



all over the province, and some have been found over 20 

 feet in length. On another occasion I shot one of these 

 amimals whilst it was in a torpid state through having 

 swallowed a doe, barking deer, or " ghee," an animal standing 

 a good deal higher than a collie dog. The Burmans not only 

 ate up every portion of the snake, but accounted for the deer 

 as well. The venison, of course, was perfectly- good, as the 

 animal had only been recently killed. 



In a previous chapter of this book I made some mention as 

 to solitary bulhbison frequenting the same localities for days 

 together, and that they, like solitary elephants, go over the 

 same ground when coming and going from one cover or 

 grazing-ground to another. 



An instance of this occurred, in my experience, in the 

 Nampan forest near Okshitk5n. I had heard that the tracks 

 of a solitary bull gaur had been seen on the outskirts of a long 

 strip of dense jungle, situated some three and a half miles from 

 camp. Having first verified this information, I started out 

 before daybreak, accompanied by Moung Yauk and another 

 man acquainted with the locality. We made a wide detour, 

 intending to return towards evening past the cover in question 

 where the tracks had been seen, with the hope of finding the 

 gaur in the neighbourhood. 



Whilst moving along through a very likely piece of bamboo 

 jungle we struck the fresh trail of a solitary tsine, and heard 

 it almost at the same time feeding off young bamboo shoots 

 some forty paces off. I immediately stalked it, but hesitated 

 about firing, as I was afraid the old bull gaur we intended 

 looking up in the evening might hear the shot and leave the 

 locality. But as the old saw has it, that " a bird in the hand 

 is worth two in the bush," I made up my mind to chance it, 

 and, aiming for the shoulder, fired a right and left. Both 

 bullets from the 8-bore took effect, and brought the tsine to 

 the ground with a crash, where he lay kicking and bellowing 

 till life ebbed away. 



After disembowelling the animal to prevent the meat 

 becoming tainted, we proceeded to the spot where the tracks 

 of the solitary bull gaur had been seen, hoping that the 

 animal had not taken alarm at the report of my shots and 



