Contributions to the Ornithology of India, SfC, 93 



javanica. One or two Ceryle rudis, several pairs of Haliceetus 

 leucoryplms, and one pair of Halifeetus albicilla. Shortly after 

 leaving- Jhelum, low liills^ not exceeding- 2^500 feet in height^ begin 

 to appear on the rig-ht bank of the river. The first and most con- 

 spicuous that comes in view is Jogitilla (used as a kind of sani- 

 tarium by the residents of Jhelum) being the north-east extre- 

 mity of the salt range and one of its highest points. 

 Throughout the day we had the eastern flanks of the salt range 

 bordering the right bank of the river. 



'i'ind. — Started early and got into Pindadhun Khan, about 4 

 o^clock in the afternoon. En route saw a few terns and one 

 pretty large party of lih.ynchojis albicoUis, the only ones yet seen. 

 No geese, but numbers of mallard, of which I got sixteen. These 

 were the only ducks seen, but we saw several parties of cranes, of 

 which I got eight, to the great delight of our people. The boat- 

 men have verily maws like crocodiles. Each man will eat a 

 whole crane to his own cheek. Of a couple of fat mallards they 

 think nothing. Luckily most of the birds knocked over yester- 

 day and today had enough life left in them to permit of having 

 their throats cut " in the name of God" before they died, 

 without which ceremony the Mahomedans of our party (and all 

 the boatmen, 20 in number, are Mussulmans) would not of course 

 have eaten them. 



Geese, crane, and mallard, shy and wild as they are as a rule 

 inland, are easily killed on all our larger rivers. During the 

 hotter parts of the day, they are generally found in larger or 

 smaller parties, dozing in the sun, on some sandbank, at the 

 water^s edge, or in the case of the cranes, standing asleep in the 

 water near some such bank. Directly such a party is sighted, you 

 take a small boat, with a couple of sharp men, and row or punt 

 noiselessly down to within two or three hundred yards, when if 

 the water intervening is shallow enough to allow it, (and the 

 boatmen seem to know this by instinct) one man gets quietly 

 out of the boat behind, and while those in the boat lie down out 

 of sight, he, stooping so as to be entirely concealed by the boat, 

 pushes it down gently and noiselessly, aided by the stream, 

 towards the flock. In this way \ou may approach, if all is well 

 managed, to witliin twenty yards of even cranes. You make some 

 •arrangement at the bows (I had a false gunwale screwed on 

 with suitable holes pierced in it) so as to admit of peeping 

 and shooting, without raising your head into view, and when 

 you get to what you consider the right distance, knock 

 over as many you can sitting with the first shot, and as 

 many more as you have time for, before they get out of 

 shot;, after they rise. Everything depends on judging rightly 



