314 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



be wiser on his part to start with the conviction that he will have 

 to use patience, perseverance and brains before he can pat himself 

 on the back as being a wiser bird than the one he is after. 



Driving, such as is so often successfully carried out in the 

 pursuit of the European Bustard, is not often resorted to in India, 

 and the destruction of our Indian bird is more often accomplished 

 by stalking and the aid of a small bore riifle. Even this, however, 

 is but seldom possible in the truest sense of the word, for the bare- 

 ness of the country in which the game is found and the general 

 complete absence of all real hills or elevations prevent any approach 

 under cover. 



In the " Indian Field " 1904, Major R. W. Burton gave an in- 

 teresting account of a stalk which ended in success. After some 

 preliminary remarks, he says : " At last the white neck of the 

 cock Bustard caught my eye some 600 yards away, and in a few 

 moments, with the aid of field glasses, three others were dis- 

 tinguished not far from the first and all were busy feeding. It was 

 most interesting to watch them stalking about in the stately way 

 they have. 



" Bustard have a keen sense of smell, and as any approach except 

 down wind appeared impossible, there was nothing for it but to 

 wait. In the course of half an hour the birds were tending 

 towards some higher ground on which were a few small bushes. A 

 detour iinder cover of a fold in the ground took me, without anj^ 

 particular precaution, to within 150 yards of these, and a crawl on 

 hands and knees and elbows, and sometimes on the stomach — all 

 through sopping wet plough land took me some 80 yards nearer. 

 Sitting slowly up to see where tq.j friends were, I saw a long white 

 neck appear round one side of a bush, about 120 yards away, 

 peering this way and that to see what strange green and brown 

 beast it could be sitting in the field (my shooting suit was of the 

 greenish-brown leather mixture, and much bespattered with mud). 

 I sat like a carved image, as the least movement would be fatal, 

 and that curious bird actually paced slowly on until 70 yards awa}^ 

 without being able to make me out. Opportunity was taken as 

 the bird paused for a moment behind a small bush, with long tufts 

 of grass growing through it, to get the little 'SIO rifle to bear in 



