THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 315 



his direction with elbows on knees ready to fire. At last discovery- 

 appeared imminent, so taking careful aim at the lower edge of the 

 breast I dropped him with a shot through the body. Loud hoarse 

 grunts of alarm showed me the other birds were not far oif, and on 

 my standing up the last of them flew off from some 160 yards 

 away. 



" There is no finer bird than a male of the Great Indian Bustard 

 and the delight in handling the magnificent plumage was mingled 

 Avith a geniiine feeling of regret — now the excitement was over that 

 the stately bird would no more stalk proudly his native plains." 



In writing to me he adds that on another occasion he combined 

 a stalk and a drive with great success. 



" It was with reliable information of the Bustard being in con- 

 siderable numbers that Major H. Greany, I.M.S., and myself took 

 the train for a small wayside station of Tugalli, in January 1896. 

 Within half a mile of the station we discovered 6 birds feeding 

 among some stunted babul bushes and arranged for one of tis to 

 stalk and the other to lie up on the chance of getting a shot as the 

 birds flew on. The stalk fell to my share and resulted in a suc- 

 cessful right and left with S. S. G. at 60 and 90 yards rise, the 

 other birds going straight over the Doctor who dropped one bird 

 with S. S. G. from his right barrel and merely staggered another 

 bird, as he had loaded the left barrel with No. 6, shot, being afraid 

 to flre S. S. G. from the choke barrel of his best ' Alexander 

 Henry ! ' The wounded bird carried on until out of sight, and 

 we did not succeed in finding him. The three birds secured were 

 all hens and weighed 17 lbs. to 18 lbs. each." 



Another correspondent, who desires to remain unnamed, sends 

 me a very interesting account of a two days' stalk after Bustard, 

 which shows that success does not always attend even the hardest 

 worker under the most advantageous circumstances. He writes : 

 " The Great Bustard has always been an object of admiration to 

 me, and I have spent many long days after him, sometimes with 

 the success that makes a man feel above himself for days together, 

 hut more often, I must admit, with the faihire that makes a 

 man feel his smartness to be great depths below the bird he 

 is after. 



