A WATER-HOOPOO. 131 



the line of beaters. The villagers encamp on the 

 ground and light their fires at night, and gradually 

 advance during the day until all the game in the 

 selected area is within the two sides of the hoopoo. 

 Now the women and children retire, and the men, 

 armed with bows, arrows, spears, etc., advance with 

 loud shouts, so that the terrified animals within the 

 stockade rush tumultuously towards the apex only 

 to be engulfed in the yawning pit at the small 

 opening. The animals in front cannot turn back 

 at sight of the pit, as they are pushed on by those 

 behind, and soon the pit is one living mass of game 

 of all kinds, large and small deer of all kinds, 

 pig, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, lions, panthers and 

 even the lordly elephant. The first in the pit are 

 trampled out of all shape by the succeeding animals 

 tumbling on to them. When the pit is full, what is 

 left of the game within the stockade escapes over 

 the bodies of their comrades. Then ensues a scene 

 of rejoicing and butchering, of cutting up and 

 dividing, till each village has its share of the spoil 

 and the villagers go home with meat enough to 

 last for weeks. 



A water hoopoo is a hunt after fish, and is 

 arranged in somewhat the same style. I will give 

 a description of such a hunt, which I witnessed 

 recently. 



In parts of Western Bengal are a tribe of Gonds 

 known as Jhoras. These people are professional 

 gold-washers and fishers. That is, they are engaged 

 during the rainy months, when water is every- 

 where available, in washing the sands in the 



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