MISCELLANEVUS NOTES, 561 
wariness. A bullet from a small bore had made a neat little hole in one 
of the horns, and we found what seemed to be fragments of an Express 
bullet about the base of one of the ears, These pieces were all coated with 
tissue or muscle and looked as if they had been there some time. Perhaps 
an examination of the body might have revealed other scars. We made 
him out to be thirteen years old, Next day, to the great delight of my 
servants, who had had quite enough of the Pamirs, we started back for India, 
Perhaps a few remarks on the best time for visiting the Pamir, shikaris, 
equipment, &c,, may be useful to any one who is thinking of making an 
expedition after the big sheep. 
In April and the beginning of May the shooting is comparatively easy ; the 
poli are then on bare patches of grass surrounded by snow, When alarmed 
they bolt up-hill, get more or less stuck in the deep snow, and give a succes- 
sion of easy shots. By the middle of May the snow has cleared off toa 
great extent ; the shooting is then not so easy, but it is certainly better sport 
and the climate is pleasanter, I should say that May and June are pro- 
bably the two best months in the year for poli, though no doubt any one who 
doesnot mind hard work would get shooting all through the summer nd 
autumn. Winter shooting is, I think, out of the question. 
Poli seem to be very much the same in their habits as ammon, and although 
small ones may perhaps he stalked without much trouble, big old rams know 
very well how to take care of themselves, None of the local shikaris I 
employed on the Pamirs were any good with the glasses, and only one of 
them knew anything about stalking, They one and all denied the existence 
of game in any place where the shooting entailed going into much snow or 
extra hard work. 
f found the Mannlicher a perfect weapon for poli. Its flat trajectory 
gives it an immense advantage over the Express in an open country like the 
Pamirs, where it is often very difficult to get close to one’s game, It is 
quite powerful enough for any hill game I have come across, I never lost 
or had any trouble with a wounded poli, though they have the reputation 
of taking a lot of killing. 
As regards clothes, tents, &c. The ordinary kit for Himalayan shooting 
is good enough with a few additions. A long poshteen (sheepskin coat) 
reaching down to one’s feet is wanted to wear in camp, or when riding or 
sitting about, The Yarkandi poshteen is preferable to the better known 
Peshawar one, being much lighter and I think more comfortable to wear, 
They can be got in Srinagar or Leh, The long felt boots, which most sports- 
men wear in camp when shooting in the Himalayas, should be lined with 
lambskin for the Pamirs. Boots should be soft, well-greased, and big enough 
to wear several pairs of warm socks with. Personally, I discarded boots 
in favour of chuplies, With these I wore two pairs of woollen and one pair 
of thick quilted putto socks, I found this foot gear excellent, and always 
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