FORESTS OF THE BHABAR AND FOOT-HILLS 205 



glimpse of him moving away after I had gone some 

 distance. 



Sometimes I spent the night sitting in a sort of nest, 

 made with soft boughs in a forked old oak-tree, right on 

 the top of a ridge commanding a ghat or pass-way from 

 one large valley to several others, with a blanket to keep 

 out the night chill. Most dehghtful nights they were in 

 the dry season, with scarce a breath of wind, and the bright 

 stars shining overhead, and complete sohtude. The beasts 

 often began to stir about 3 a.m., signalhng to one another 

 by signs only knowm to the jungle inhabitants, all having 

 their own separate language and each its own interests 

 to look after, often conflicting. The deer would seek the 

 green pasture about 4 a.m. to take their morning meal, 

 and, having filled themselves, about daylight would be on 

 the move for the thick jungle, where they would harbour 

 for the day. A big stag might seek a salt hck, where he 

 would satisfy his craving for such condiment. There 

 were several I knew of. There were places in the forest 

 where stags would soil, rolling themselves in mud. An 

 old bear might come lumbering along, turning over stones 

 and picking up insects, and scraping out ants' nests with 

 his claws like gouges. Later, a hideous striped hyena,* 

 with hang-dog expression and humped-up back, would 

 come along in a hurry, making for his favourite cave, as 

 if he thought he had stopped too late crunching the bones 

 of a poor cow that the tiger had left only partly eaten. 

 His unearthly call to his mate had been heard in the 

 night. Beautiful dark rufous-coated martens, t with long, 

 bushy tails, would chase one another through the branches 

 of a great saj-tree. Jackals and little hill foxes went by 

 on their midnight prowl, sometimes making the jungle 



* Hycena striata (Lakha bagha). 

 t Mustela flavigula (Jerdon). 



