24 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



lying down on the top of a big rock that rose 

 up from a confused mass of crags, which reminded 

 one, as the shikari said, of the crenelated walls 

 of some mediaeval fort. As the ibex moved their 

 heads, their horns looked like curved scimitars 

 against the sky, turning this way and that. Their 

 fort was quite impregnable as far as we were 

 concerned, for let alone the fact that the wind 

 was wrong, our approach, whichever side we made 

 it, would be visible to the keen eyes of watchful 

 sentries. 



So I had to be content to sit and watch my 

 first herd, till the shadows began to steal along 

 the hillsides and throw gigantic shapes on the 

 opposite side of the valley. 



That was the day I first heard the call of the 

 snow -cock, 1 the very embodiment of the spirit 



1 The Himalayan snow -cock, Tetmogallus Himalayensis, is a 

 magnificent bird somewhat bigger than a guinea-fowl. I have 

 often thought the experiment of introducing him into Scotland 

 ought to be tried. Their plumage is speckled grey, but when their 

 square tail is cocked up, as they frequently carry it, a mass of pure 

 white downy feathers is displayed which is very conspicuous from 

 a distance. They live just below the snow-line, and their food con- 

 sists principally of mosses or the insects found therein. They are 

 generally seen by the big-game hunter whilst in pursuit of ibex 

 and markhor ; but a day after them with a rook rifle affords not 

 bad fun and very hard exercise. In the Yasin district, where they 

 abound, the natives drive them from hill to hill while the snow is 

 on the ground, and by a skilful arrangement of beaters, can tire 

 them out and then knock them on the head. They are excellent 

 eating, but should be hung as long as possible. 



