OF EASTERN TURKISTAN. 85 
which were common throughout the day; as was also the 
Kestrel (7. alaudarius,) a specimen of which was shot by one 
of the sowars. Then getting on to marshy ground all frozen 
over, but the ice often giving way under the ponies, we saw a 
large flock of Ducks (Anas boschas.) The son of the Sirkar, 
carrying a Goshawk, rode up gently to within about a hundred 
yards of the flock, and then ‘sending his horse at a gallop over 
the slippery ice, as confidently as if he had been riding on 
smooth turf, cast the hawk at the ducks as they rose. “The 
Karchighah struck one of the ducks very cleverly, and imme- 
diately landed with it on theice. The hawker then dismounted 
and having released his duck from the claws of the Goshawk, 
he cut its (the duck’ s, not the Goshawk’s) throat, secundem artem, 
tied it by the legs to the saddle, and proceeded to look for more 
game. “After shooting a few ducks at that place we rode on to 
alarge bit of waste ~ ground overgrown with stunted reeds, 
where we found a fair number of hares (Lepus Yarkandensis), 
but neither so numerous nor affording such good sport as the 
hares of Nubra in Ladak. The hawks seemed to catch these 
hares very readily, but the disappointing part of the business 
was that the party was scattered all over the place, and one 
could hardly tell was going on; when a halt was called, hares 
and ducks would be found attached to the hawker’s saddles 
without any attention having been called to the fun at the time 
the capture took place. 
After getting a few specimens of Eimberiza pyrr hulordes at 
this stage, we rode across some open waste ground where we 
came across a fine Hagle-Owl (Bubo maximus.) I dismounted 
at once to try and geta shot, but I was anticipated by a 
Birkut being thrown off at it. The Eagle had an excellent 
chance of striking, but whether it did not fancy the game or 
was too clumsy I can’t tell, for it made only one swoop, and 
failing to catch the Owl, at once squatted on the ground. I 
followed the Eagle-Owl for sometime, but could not ‘cet a shot ; 
principally because the bird was followed by a number of ca 
( C. culminatus) who seemed to be tormenting it, and yet gave 
their enemy warning of my approach by flying up when I got 
at all near. 
The next step in the proceedings consisted in getting into 
ground covered with long reeds and rushes, which was reported 
to be a good place for Pheasants. The first hird bagged there 
was a Bittern (Botaurus stellaris); and then as we went 
beating along we started great numbers of both Otus vulgaris 
and Otus brachyotus. These Owls fell very easy preys to the 
Goshawks, who seized them every time they were thrown off 
for the purpose, The Pheasants (P. Shawi) did not prove 
