318 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HJST. SOCIETY, Vol. NXI. 



direction and so round for well over a couple of miles in a semi- 

 circle until 1 had got the hillock between myself and them. I then 

 walked aboiit a quarter of a mile in their direction stooping lower 

 and loM'-er as the ground began to rise, until once more I was 

 forced to go on hands and knees. In this way I got to within 

 300 yards of the top and was lying flat for a moment or two to 

 recover my breath when, without any warning, two suddenly 

 appeared over the crest of the hill coming straight towards me. I 

 lay absolutely motionless, but it was useless. First one bird and 

 then the other stopped, stretched out his head and neck, put it on 

 one side so as to get a better focus, for a moment or two seemed 

 to doubt whether I was a dangerous object or not and then, 

 determined I was, they both took to flight accompanied by the 

 remaining six birds on the far side of the hill. 



" The sun was now high up and the heat intense so I made for 

 the shade of some village trees, a weary two miles ofl" and there I 

 fed, drank, slept and read for the next four hours. After the rest 

 we again set forth and it was not long before we again came upon 

 some birds, two fine cocks, probably the same two I had tried for 

 in the morning. The ground was favourable for a stalk and, after 

 a repetition of the morning's work on hands and knees, ending 

 with a crawl on my stomach for the last hundred yards or so, I got 

 within 120 paces of the nearest cock. My only cover was a few 

 scattered clumps of coarse grass, two or three feet high, so that I 

 could not sit up to fire but, resting on my elbows, had to fire as I 

 lay. Alas ! the report of my rifle only resulted in both birds 

 springing into flight and sailing away unhurt, though followed 

 by another bullet, fired in despair. 



" No further opportunities to miss or hit occurred and at dusk 

 I made my way home a disappointed man. 



" My next day's work was as unsuccessful as that already report- 

 ed, practically all day I was in sight of Bustard but it seemed 

 impossible to work Avithin shot. Once early in the morning I had 

 stalked a solitary bird with success and had only a few yards more 

 to cover when he took it into his head to change quarters and join 

 a scattered flock nearly the opposite side of the plain. A stalk of 

 of this flock followed and I was again just congratulating m5^self 



