THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 781 



.and ciy. He then stalks within 50 or 60 yards, and again waits 

 till the bird jumps and then runs as fast as he can towards the 

 spot. The bird generall}^ rises 30 or 40 yards off, and there is a 

 fair amount of excitement if not of sport, in shooting them in this 

 way." 



Capt. Butler gives a similar description as follows :■ — " For my 

 part, I have always protested against the wholesale destruction of 

 these fine birds in the breeding season, and tried rery hard when 

 I was in Deesa, to persuade sportsmen (!) to spare the hens. But 

 it was of no use ; they argued that, ' if they didn't shoot them, 

 isome one else would,' and consequently the Florican were shown 

 no mercy. 



'■ The usual method of shooting them is to walk them up in 

 line, when they rise usually within easy shot. They are easily 

 killed, and I have seen longer shots made at Florican than any 

 • other bird I know. In fact they drop if you fire at them at 

 almost any possible distance (provided, of course, you hold the gun 

 .straight). At times, however, after being marked down, ihej are 

 ver}^ diflScult to find, as they commence running the moment they 

 alight, and often get 200 or 300 yards away before you reach the 

 spot where you have marked them down. But for this, scarcel}'' 

 a bird would escape."' 



Again, Mr. James says : — " The ordinary way in which a single 

 gun pursues Florican is to walk through the grass, with a few 

 beaters, listening for the cry of the bird and following it ; in this 

 way the bird can be tracked for a considerable distance. Before 

 very long the bird will be seen jumping up above the long grass," 

 .as some think to pick grass hoppers ofi" the stems. The best way 

 then is to run as hard as possible up to the place A\'hen the bird 

 will rise. They drop very easily to shot, but when once flushed 

 .are difficult to flush again." 



All writers and sportsmen seem to concur in considering the 

 Lesser Florican to be much less wild in its nature than any other 

 Bustard and when in fairly high grass or crops they often lie very 

 close, not rising until the line of beaters approaches within a few 

 yards of them and seldom rising more than 30 yards in front of 

 the line. Jerdon says that " it feeds chiefly in the morning and is 



