212 Sporting Notes in the Far East. 



The chief grounds about Penang are Bulok-Pulo, a district to 

 the South of the island, and famous for the quantities of birds seen 

 there, including painted snipe. In very wet weather the Race 

 Course of Penang (in the centre of which are the troops barracks!), 

 always affords six or eight couple any day ; and Glugar Estate, on 

 the West of the island, will alone give a moderate shot in a day's 

 sport twenty or thirty couple throughout the season. Crossing 

 over to the main land, there are severally the Birtram, Prye, and 

 Battu-Kowan sugar estates, for which various places much the 

 same can be said as to the sport obtained. None of these grounds 

 are over five miles from the landing stage. 



Generally speaking the snipe are mostly found in the young rice 

 paddies, except after heavy rains, when the .depth of water on the 

 fields is excessive, and then they repair to the adjoining small 

 cocoa-nut plantations and the brushwood jungle. 



All around the bungalows of the " inland " inhabitant, wherever 

 there is a morsel of marsh, wisps of these gyrating birds are to be 

 found'; and it has often and often occurred to my informant, while 

 watching from the verandah of his bungalow during the day, to see 

 as many as a dozen birds settle at one time within a hundred yards 

 of his house ; and then has he ventured out with a gun and cart- 

 ridges, Solar Topee, and pyjamas, and brought in three or four 

 couple in half an hour ; retiring to his couch again, till the servant 

 reported " more snipe " (sic). 



