MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 561 



or two tanks with sufficient duck on to amuse one, but in no great quantities ; 

 nukta, red-crested pochard {F. rufina), and ganganey teal are what I have 

 bagged. 



Peacock in suitable places are in fair numbers. I have seen and shot a few 

 painted partridges and two florican ; there are no grey partridges. I was told 

 that there was no quail in the district, but the common quail at all events 

 this year is generally distributed ; I have also shot a rain quail or two, and some 

 small quail which I did not identify ; the crop of the country is rice ; when 

 that is cut, except here and there, where there is an odd patch or two of 

 irrigated cultivation, the fields remain bare ; so the only place to find quail is 

 in the grassy " bands " between the rice fields. This is taken advantage of by 

 the native bird-catcher who walks along the " lands " with a large oblong 

 net over his head, beating the grass as he goes along. As regards species of 

 water-birds which I saw, I could count them on my fingers, probably on one 

 hand ; even the common pied kingfisher was scarce. Hurrial are generally to 

 be found about villages, and the common grey hornbill, locally called daneis, 

 is not uncommon ; both make a welcome addition to the bill of fare. I saw 

 five wild pigeons near Bosna ; in fact it seems to me that I am better situated 

 as far as ornithology and entomology are concerned in Sambalpur than in 

 Raipur, but as I have seen so very little of the former, I can say nothing 

 for certain. 



Before I came out I received a commission to catch pretty butterflies, but I 

 have seen none but the commonest kinds ; but as none have English names and 

 my Indian nomenclature has lapsed, I can say no more. 



I have mentioned before that the principal crop is rice ; here and there, 

 however, there is a small crop of sugarcane of indifferent growth, some few 

 patches of miserable-looking castor oil, a field or two of wretched cotton and 

 gram, and a fair amount of bad " till" ; on the other hand the linseed does not 

 look at all bad. I was desirous of photographing some Indian crops as they 

 stood in the field. I have not seen anything worthy of exposing a plate on 

 (I do not allude to rice). 



The jungles seem composed for the most part of various more or less useless 

 timber, principally saj. I have often, on the march through jungle, asked 

 my shikari the name and use of every sort of tree I passed, and the reply to 

 the latter query was in nearly every case " Of no use." My other botanical 

 observations were principally practical. Various villages have weekly their 

 market-days or bazaar-days ; at most of them tomatoes, brinjals, a green 

 equivalent to spinach, onions, etc., can be obtained. A most important 

 discovery I made at Bosna (Sambalpur road) is that potatoes can be obtained 

 in quantity ; they are brought from Raipur. I find native tobacco— the dark 

 and mild sort— very good when smoked in a leaf -pipe after the native fashion ; 

 the light-coloured leaf is too strong. 



