14 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



so took my men up the side of the big hill overhanging Shillong, 

 which is pretty well covered with pine forest. 



" On parades like this, during the shooting season I consider it 

 legitimate to carry a gun, and to take my two spaniels " Celar '' and 

 " Audax " with me. 



" We, that is, my following of about 100 men, my batman with 

 the cartridge bag, the two dogs and myself, start up the hill within 

 half a mile of my house. A road runs zig-zag up the hill through 

 forest and a hundred yards or so to the right of the road flows the 

 stream which forms part of the station water supply. We pound 

 steadily up the hill until we have already marched about a mile and 

 a half, up some 1,100 feet. Here I think the men may as well halt 

 to get their wind, whilst I go down to look at the stream. 



" Celar " and " Audax" go into the wood above me, and present- 

 ly one of them gives tongue. I see nothing, but from some little 

 distance up the hill I hear the wings of a bird clicking against the 

 branches of the trees as he flies, a sound I have noticed with both 

 w 7 oodcock and pheasant at home. A second later, he gives me the 

 type of shot I love best, coming towards me high overhead. I 

 throw up the gun, fire, and as 1 lower it, see the cock crashing down 

 through the branches. The orderly picks him up, and not having 

 seen me shoot one for at least seven months, asks what he is to do 

 with it, thereby showing to how great an extent, the present system, 

 of training the individual soldier to think for himself acts on some 

 individuals. Not having sufficient command of his vernacular to 

 tell him to put it " where the monkey put the nuts," I tell him to 

 bring it along. 



" On returning to my small command, who have by this had a 

 good five minutes' rest, the bird is duly admired, and we fall in and 

 plod still further up the hill. On reaching the top we turn to the left 

 along the edge of the Government reserved forest, passing some 

 likely looking ground, but as I should have to halt my men to try 

 it, it is scarcely the game to do so now, so I call off the dogs, 

 who are only too keen to work it. Along the crest of the hill for 

 a mile or so, and then we begin to descend. Half way down, a 

 stream runs almost parallel to, and about fifty yards from our path, 

 and as I can keep in sight of the men, I think it quite legitimate to 

 work it. 



