GAYIAL SHOOTING OIT THE JTJMNA, 46 



We had fine sport in feeding the birds. We threw large pieces 

 of meat toward the vultures, upon which eight or ten of the fore- 

 most would rush forward, seize it with their beaks, and then such a 

 tumult ! Each one would try to swallow the meat before the others, 

 and their huge, horny beaks actually clanked together as they strug- 

 gled for the coveted flesh. Wings, legs, beaks, and talons were all 

 brought into use, and such flopping, pulling, and hauling I never 

 saw before. Once a large old vulture seized a long piece of meat 

 and started off, swallowing as he ran. Half a dozen others imme- 

 diately gave chase, overhauled him when the meat was three-fourths 

 swallowed, and, fastening their beaks into the end which was ex- 

 posed, they pulled and hauled at it until they yanked the precious 

 morsel out of that poor vulture's tliroat and greedily devoured it 

 themselves. I never saw a more disgusted looking bird, and he 

 seemed utterly discouraged, too, for he gave his feathers a con- 

 temptuous shake and walked off by himself. 



The crows would caw and peck at the meat thrown to them 

 until a party of greedy vultux'es would gallop over and gobble up 

 everything. We tossed small pieces of meat high up in the air, and 

 every time a hawk would come swooping down and clutch it with 

 a "spat" in his talons. They never missed their aim nor allowed 

 a piece of meat to descend to the earth again. Once a vulture 

 started to fly away with a piece of meat in his beak, but a hawk 

 was down upon him in an instant. They flew nearly a hundred 

 yards, fighting in mid-air, and at last both fell upon the sand strug- 

 ghng fiercely and losing many feathers. The hawk whipped the 

 vulture, but by the time he had accompHshed it the vulture had 

 swallowed the meat, lea%ing to his conqueror only the empty honor 

 of victory. 



While we were at work, dozens of natives came to watch us, 

 and at one time there were about forty brown men and boys, naked 

 except their loin cloths, sitting upon their heels in a close group 

 near us, solemnly looking on. They talked very little and scarcely 

 asked us a question, which was a blessed relief. They did not ask 

 all about my private affairs, nor did they get up afterwards and 

 mob us, as that crowd of Irish yahoos did at the south end of Loch 

 Neagh when we were skeletonizing donkeys. 



Both of our gavials were females. From the ovary of one we 

 took forty-one eggs, and forty-four from the other, which were so 

 fully developed that I blew them out successfully. In the stomach 

 of one we found three half-digested fishes of very good size, in the 



