ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



1611 



BOMBARDED BY HAIL 

 Flying squirrels killed in the storm. 



in the underbrush. In the dense shade of the 

 deodars were lilies-of-the-valley and great 

 hanks of maiden's hair fern. Birds were court- 

 ing or building, or, as in the ease of an impeyan 

 pheasant which I had discovered, were already 

 sitting on eggs. 



One day I surprised a troop of great grey 

 langur monkeys in the act of robbing this nest, 

 which fortunately I had already photographed. 

 As I came along the slope, the marauders swung 

 past me, old and young hurling themselves 

 recklessly from spire to spire. Tree after tree 

 shook and bent as in a terrific gale of wind; 

 small dry branches crashed and splintered : 

 conts. needles and twigs rained to the ground 

 as the troop rushed by. The uproar which these 

 banderlog creates has usually but little effect 

 upon the lesser creatures of the forest. They 

 well know the danger as well as the limitations 

 of the four-handed folk. 



Hut when this troop passed, quiet did not set- 

 tle down. There was no wind, no movement of 

 the needles. Even the ferns hung motionless. 



But there was a sinister un- 

 dercurrent more potent than 

 noise of elements. Some- 

 thing was about to happen, 

 and not concerning any one 

 animal, or in any one glade. 

 The birds were restless and 

 their notes were those of 

 anxiety. Pheasants called in 

 :\ way which they should not 

 have done except in early 

 morning ; small creatures 

 rustled here and there among 

 the leaves. I picked up my 

 gun and walked toward 

 cam]). 



I crossed two bridges. 

 Still no wind, but a sound 

 of restless life everywhere, 

 ■i tense uneasiness. And then 

 came the climax, swiftly, 

 mercilessly. From the Tib- 

 etan snow-peaks in the dis- 

 tance billowed a breath of 

 cold air — icy, unfriendly — 

 ■>.nd a dark cloud swept 

 across the sun. The mist 

 grew thicker and closed 

 down. The birds and for- 

 est creatures became silent 

 as death, and for as long as 

 two minutes the silence was 

 oppressive. Then in the dis- 

 tance, dimly through the fog, the trees bent and 

 straightened, the mist yellowed and a drop of 



PS' 1 i 



... , 



... 'H^$0F& 



A SECURE RETREAT 

 Nest nfa Babbler protected from the storr 



