BISOy. 135- 



first indication of the proximity of a herd of bison is 

 frequently given by their strong smell, which pervades the 

 adjacent jungle for many yards. It resembles that of 

 milch cattle, but is far more pungent, and can be winded 

 at a distance of over 100 yards. Unless frequently fired at, 

 herds will generally be found in a particular locality inside 

 a circle of about three miles diameter. This does not 

 apply to old solitary bulls, which are nomadic as a rule,, 

 although they, too, have favourite haunts, to which they 

 sooner or later return. 



After the events recorded in the last chapter we left 

 Poolakul on the 4th July, and marched to Toonacudavoo 

 amid torrents of rain, which lasted all day. Here, for a 

 fortnight, 1 had excellent sport in the forests all round, 

 extending to a radius of ten miles, which was as far as we 

 could venture from the depot, without forming a separate 

 camp. Bison or sambur were met with daily, the latter 

 only being shot when meat was required. It soon became 

 apparent that, like other kinds of big game, bison require a 

 good deal of killing, and I lost several badly- wounded 

 animals by the bullet striking a few inches outside the 

 deadly spots. One day I had been tracking a very large 

 solitary bull for several hours, but could not get a clear 

 shot, although we had covered some ten miles of country in 

 pursuit. As it was getting late w r e turned our steps home- 

 wards, and were crossing some open ground the shikaries 

 carrying the rifies when a herd of bison jumped up 

 within ten yards, and made off towards a sholah. Snatching 

 a rifie from Atlay, I fired at the largest one visible, and he 

 rolled over to the second barrel and lay kicking on the 

 ground, but the two bullets from the second rifie seemed to 

 revive him, for he got up and went off at a fair pace to a 

 sholah, which was full of hill gooseberry and such like 



