MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 563 



No. XIII.-STALKING SAMBAR. 



In the interesting account of Sambar Shooting which Mr. Inverarity gives 

 in the last number of the Journal, he begins by stating that there is no deer- 

 stalking in India : but India is rather large and few sportsmen have shot on 

 all its hill ranges. I think it may interest some of your readers to know that 

 there is at least one place where stalking sambar may be had, and where a 

 good telescope is absolutely necessary. I refer to the Koondha range in the 

 Nilgiri district, some 20 miles west of Ootacamund. The height is about 6,500 

 feet, a perfect climate at times, with delightful scenery of open grassy lulls, 

 with woods of rhododendron scattered here and there. Stag shooting is obtain- 

 able from November to April, but a license is required, which costs Rs. 30. 



As the district shot over is comparatively small, large heads are now rare, 

 but I believe there are several other hill ranges south of the Nilgiris where 

 sambar can be obtained by stalking. I send you a photograph I took during 

 a recent shooting trip among the Koondhas, which I hope will give you and 

 Mr. Inverarity an idea of the country. 



G. S. RODON, Major, 



The Royal Scots. 



Belgaum, 23rd March, 1894. 



No. XIV.— WOLF CUBS. 



I shall be glad to know whether the Indian wolf has ever been successfully 

 trained to hunt with dogs, in a " bobbery " pack, as I hope to try the experi- 

 ment before long. 



Last month I came on the lair of a pair of wolves on the borders of the Runn 

 of Cutch, containing 5 cubs (2 males and 3 females). I removed three of the 

 cubs and left the others so as to tempt the parents back to their lair, hoping to 

 be able to run them down with my greyhounds in the morning, but when I 

 visited the place the next day before dawn, the old wolves had removed the two 

 young ones during the night and had left their lair. 



The three cubs, which I had taken, were successfully suckled by means of a 

 village dog. Their foster-mother objected to them considerably at first, but 

 soon became very fond of them, and will not leave them now. They are 

 perfectly tame, come to call, and lick my hand, but they appear to be rather 

 stupid, although exceedingly keen and plucky. All my dogs have taken a great 

 fancy to the young wolves and play with them, but the wild parentage of the 

 little cubs is especially noticeable at meal time when they bolt their food in the 

 most ravenous manner imaginable. When they were only about three weeks 

 old, they showed their hunting instinct by flying at the throat of a tame Chin- 

 kara fawn. Should they become unmanageable and dangerous, I shall send 

 them to you for the Zoological Gardens in Bombay, but I still hope to train 

 them to hunt with my " bobbery pack." They went out with me yesterday 

 with the terriers and followed very fairly. 



G. B. O'DONNELL, Captain. 

 Malia, Kathiawar, 26$ March, 1894. 



