THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON, 17 



foxes, jackals and wild cats and also that the Sand-Grouse leaves 

 a strong scent by which a dog will nose out a wounded bird hidden 

 amongst the clods of a ploughed field in a moment, it does speak 

 well for their chowkidars that none of these little Sand-Grouse ever 

 seem to fall victims to these midnight marauders. 



" Still native fowlers will at times surprise them, and during 

 dark nights, in some fashion, creep up and drop a net over the 

 entire party. The net used is a very light one, a truncated triangle 

 about 8 ft. wide at bottom, 4 ft. at top, and about 4 ft. wide, attached 

 to two light slender bamboos, each about 8 ft. long. The covey is 

 marked as it goes to roost, and then the man about 11 o'clock (the 

 night must be dark, and is all the better for being windy) steals tip 

 and drops the net over the whole pack. I went out several nights 

 to try and be present at a capture, but on only one occasion were 

 any caught, and then only two, but a few nights after, the men who 

 were akerias, and who were still in my camp, snaring ducks and 

 quails, brought in some forty, that they professed to have caught in 

 this way in one haul, and they w^ere polite enough to hint that it 

 was the bad smell of an European that had foiled their efforts on 

 previous occasions. They were doubtless humbugging in some way 

 but one thing is certain, they do constantly manage to catch whole 

 packs in some way or other during dark nights, and are therefore, 

 though they certainly do not look so, considerably sharper than the 

 beasts of the field." 



The only way of making a big bag of Sand-grouse is to wait for 

 . them at their drinking place, but in this way very big bags indeed 

 can be made, especially when arrangements are made to prevent the 

 birds watering at any other pieces of water within a radius of some 

 miles, as is done sometimes when ' big wigs ' have to be provided 

 with sport. 



During the non-breeding season shooting over w^ater is legitimate 

 enough for the Common Sand Grouse are strong and good fliers, fly 

 high and take a lot of hitting before they drop. They must, how- 

 ever, be given a rest during the principal breeding season, if this 

 can be defined, and, where it cannot, then the normal season must 

 be allowed them, and the birds forced to adapt themselves to it. 



When thirsty they must drink and it takes a lot of shooting to 

 drive them away even temporarily, but Hume mentions a case in the 

 Sirsa district in which the cruel sport was practised by two guns 

 down at the water's edge, and a great nu^mber killed and during the 

 next week a large number of eggs were found deserted and destroyed 

 (I suppose by crows and mongooses) in what was known to be a 

 favourite breeding place two or three miles from the tank." 



From the above it is plain that these birds can be driven right 

 out of a district by too much prosecution at their drinking places, 

 a fact which should be carefully borne in mind by sportsmen. 

 B 



