554 -TOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1892. 



and Cocoa-nut palm trees. Only a rare specimen or two of the Rdm-adki is to be 

 found in the spice gardens of Kanara, as the young plants are not allowed to grow 

 up. I have not met with it below ghats. The garden cultivators, in whose garden 

 in theSirsi taluka I found it growing, told me that it was grown to prevent light- 

 ning from striking their garden, but they could assign no reason for their belief 

 beyond the fact that their ancestors believed the same thing. 



C. HUDSON'. 

 N. Kanara District. _ 



No. XIV.— WOLF-HUNTING.* 



It is a well-known fact that a black buck can be caught by a horse without 

 difficulty, if the latter is in condition; but I believe ca wolf is not often ridden 

 down, perhaps because the animal is not often found in a rideable country. An 

 account of a wolf-hunt may, therefore, be of interest to some of your readers. 



We had kkabar of a pack of wolves living near the sea-shore, along the edge of 

 which there was, for many miles, a mangrove swamp, from which the wolves are in 

 the habit of making raids upon the neighbouring flocks of sheep. Young wolves are 

 not infrequently killed in their earths by the shepherds in revenge for their 

 depredations; but the favourite prey of these animals appears to be a donkey, if 

 they can And one astray. The country is mostly flat and open, except in the 

 neighbourhood of the sea, where it is intersected by nullahs and contains quicksands 

 and marshy ground. We, therefore, skirted the sand-hills as close to the sea as 

 possible in order to drive the wolves towards the better ground inland. The 

 mirage which magnifies objects in these plains led to our following a pair of 

 jackals for some distance, but discovering our mistake we returned to rest under 

 some babuls near the shore, while we sent a number of coolies into the mangroves 

 to disturb the wolves. After waiting an hour or so we saw some sowars, whom 

 we had posted on the look-out, about half a mile to our right, riding inland ; and 

 coming up to them we found that a wolf had left the swamp, and was ahead of 

 them. Hiding on for some distance we picked up the wolf, iieading well inland 

 and going at a leisurely trot. We gave chase at once, and had a hard gallop for 

 seven or eight miles. Tiie ivolf went straight away at first, but gradually bore to 

 the left, and was finally killed, after describing three parts of a circle, within a 

 mile or a mile-and-a-haif of where he started. His action was remarkably easy, and 

 he seemed to go almost stride for stride with a big waler; for three or four miles 

 we did not gain a yard on him, and crossing some nullahs and broken ground he 

 gained a further advantage. Luckily he took to the flat again, and presently began 

 to come back. After another mile I could see by his hanging tongue and standing 

 mane that he was getting beaten; and I was soon near enough to make him jink. 



* The above appeared in the Times of India,, and is republished by permission 

 of the writer. The feat of riding down a wolf single-handed was performed by 

 another member of this Society, Mr. N. S. Symons, as reported in the Asian on 

 25th October, 18S1,— Ed. 



