8o THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



Up the slopes, we separated to take different beats, 

 Hodgson below and I above the rocks. He was more 

 fortunate, and shot two thar ; while I only got one long 

 shot, and missed from blundering incautiously over the 

 tops of one of the many ridges with ravines between. 

 There were two fine old bucks grazing, which, from the 

 similarity of their colour to the dark rocks, we did not 

 notice till they saw us and bolted over the next ridge. 

 Peeping carefully over the next, my shikari quickly put 

 down his head and beckoned to me. It was my good 

 fortune to see two musk deer grazing quietly not lOO 

 yards off. They are really pretty little deer, most grace- 

 ful, with dark brown, red, and gray coats of a wiry sort 

 of hair like porcupine quills. Their little pointed horns 

 and great black eyes and noses are striking, and their 

 little feet with four spreading toes are useful for passing 

 over soft snow. Their gambols on the very edge of a 

 frightful precipice were watched for some time, till the 

 buck seemed alarmed at something, perhaps a snow 

 leopard. Creeping behind the rocks above, he stood for 

 a moment on the point of a rock, scenting danger some- 

 where, and I was lucky enough to drop him with a bullet 

 behind the shoulder. The other made tracks, and the 

 snow leopard put in a sudden appearance, but then 

 vanished before he could be covered with the second barrel. 

 The snow leopard* I came across several times in the 

 highest ranges. He is white with brownish spots, and 

 not so big as a common leopard ; a beautiful animal with 

 a soft and pretty skin. They are not uncommon, and 

 do much damage among the sheep and goats of the 

 Bhotias, who keep big dogs to protect their flocks. 



The musk deer {Moschus moschiferus) is found above 



* Fe/z's uncia. The ounce, described by Jerdon as found at 9,000 

 to 18,000 feet elevation. 



