NATURAL HISTORY AND SPORT IN THE HIMALAYAS. 403 
the chance of finding big game. Capt. T. was similarly armed, 
and I gave Oosrao my gun loaded with cartridge. We speedily 
improvised a beat, sending the men round in hopes of a successful 
drive towards the spots where we had taken up our position. 
Ten minutes elapsed, when out rushed a huge Wild Cat, which, 
to my dismay, T. fired at, thereby, as I apprehended, stopping 
our chance of anything better for the time; but luck was in my 
favour, as a few minutes afterwards a strange-looking animal, 
trotted out of the wood close to me, turning his head from side to 
side, and looking round. It was a shot I could hardly miss, and 
I sent a bullet through his shoulder. He dropped on his knees, 
but recovering, staggered on a few paces, tried to scramble over 
a rock, and fell back dead. He was a fine full-grown Serow, 
with shaggy rough coat a good deal worn, and torn by thorns and 
burs. My bullet had severed the main artery, close to the heart; 
a lucky shot, for I am told the Serow is extraordinarily hard to 
kill, and is pretty sure to get away unless hard hit in a vital part. 
This was the first Serow I ever saw alive, and I never shot 
another. I was well pleased with my morning's performance, and 
the charcoal-burners were liberally rewarded. We found the 
_Serow not particularly good eating,—coarse ‘and dry,—and not 
worth roasting; but it made good soup, and a praiseworthy 
addition to a game pot-a-feu. The Serow, Nemorhedus bubalinus, 
is a scarce animal, of solitary habits, and has the reputation of 
being fierce, standing at bay when wounded and inflicting severe 
wounds with his strong curved horns, which are like those of the 
Ghoral on a large scale. The horns of this specimen, which are 
still in my possession, measure eleven inches over the curve, are 
black, and imperfectly ringed for about half their length, with the 
points pretty sharp and polished. The beast is found in thick 
covert bordering on the forests, and also loves rocky hill-sides, 
thinly wooded, and seldom comes into the open. 
As we had a long way to go to reach Nakunda, we walked 
briskly on, and did not care to fire at anything feathered. Capt. T. 
shot a Musk Deer, luckily a male, with long canine tusks, and a 
good pod. I was stupid enough to miss another which was 
looking at me thirty paces off. I had only a few minutes before 
resumed the rifle, and given up my gun to the Shikaree. I must 
have done better with a green cartridge, I flattered myself. 
Rather oddly, a second Wild Cat was seen on our way down the 
