MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 155 
No, IX.—SMALL GAME SHOOTING IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 
OF BOMBAY. 
SEASON 1892-93, 
The season of 1892-93 as regards small game sport within a radius of 
forty miles of Bombay was a very poor one ; in fact, if a record had been kept 
of previous seasons, I believe it would be found to be the poorest we have 
had within the last ten years, The heaviest monsoon on record in Bombay 
(126°75 inches) and the fair distribution of rain over other parts of Western 
India had, I think, a good deal to do with the sport being so bad. 
The snipe began to arrive towards the end of September, and one or two were 
killed as early as the 17th of that month, but no decent bags were made before 
the middle of October, when to all appearance a fairly good season for snipe 
might have been expected, During the Diwali holidays (20th to 23rd October) 
we had several thunderstorms with heavy rain, flooding the juggers which 
had previously held snipe, scattering the birds over the country and driving a 
good many away altogether, The rains continued until late in the season, 
35°75 inches falling in September, 2°24 in October, and 1°80 in November, 
so that the paddy was not cut until fully a month later than usual. This 
was also against sport, as October and November are our two best months for 
snipe. Jack snipe, if anything, were more abundant this season, judging from 
the proportion in the bags of snipe recorded, 
There was plenty of water everywhere up-country, and duck were con- 
sequently anything but plentiful near Bombay and there is little inducement 
for them to come and stay any length of time about Bombay, unless the tanks 
up-country are low and the feeding poor. 
Quail were conspicuous by their absence, and on juggers where forty to fifty 
couple were killed in a day’s shooting during January and February, 1892. 
The best bag made in the same months of 1893 was 8 couples for two guns, 
and the total killed for this season did not exceed 60 head, chiefly of course 
because sportsmen did not find it worth while going after them, the khubber 
brought in being so poor. I myself, although shooting pretty regularly 
throughout the season, only saw two quail which I shot, one on the 30th 
October and the other on the 20th November, There being plenty of grass 
and cover for quail up-country accounts for the scarcity down here, although 
even in Guzerat the quail season was not so good as in former years. 
Partridges and hares were much the same in number as last year, and little 
need be said about them, as the sport is so poor and will decrease each season 
as long as netting and snaring is allowed to be carried on around Bombay 
during the whole year. 
Golden plover also made a better show than in former seasons, and _ six to 
seven couple picked up in a day’s snipe shooting was not exceptional. 
Curlew were in fair numbers along the creeks, and early in the season were not 
difficult to obtain, but later on they got very wily and were not easy to approach, 
