Sheeman — Birds by the Wayside 265 



seem good to see a Coot, a bird that was precise!)' the same 

 as those we have at home. 



I hadi paid in advance for four rickshaw rides, but it suited 

 my purpose better to go afoot and alone in the neighborhood 

 of the village, and to confine the rides to two half davs. I 

 found the rickshaw as heavy as a buggy, and when empty it 

 was hard to pull up hill ; therefore I walked on the up grades, 

 and let the rickshaw boys draw me when the -road was level 

 or down hill. An interpreter explained to them for me, that, 

 when they heard the word " Stop ! " 1 wished to view a bird. 

 They soon became very observant of the birds, pointing them 

 out to me, and stopping for Doves and Mynas, and other 

 species that I may have seen scores of times that day. They 

 looked at the birds through the binoculars, and when I was 

 using the glasses they picked flowers with which to deck my 

 rickshaw. They helped me over slippery and dangerous 

 paths with as much gallantry as any one could show, even 

 though they were unlettered and more than half naked. On 

 the whole the three rickshaw boys seemed to have had a very 

 enjoyable day. 



The drive of seventeen miles from the station to the vil- 

 lage was made by tonga, with a change of horses occurring 

 every three or four miles, making use of ten horses for the 

 trip going up. The return journey was about as disagreeable 

 as rapid traveling could make it. For pleasure I should 

 choose neither tonga nor elephant-back riding. The sample 

 I had of the latter was on the excursion to the deserted city 

 of Amber. In answer to those asking about the sensations 

 of such riding it may be said that one feels rather high up in 

 the world when he can put his foot on the roof of a porch 

 that he is passing. The gait of the elephant produces a 

 cnurning motion, which in turn inspires the thought that 

 there has been a nicely balanced! adjustment in the distribu- 

 tion of the animal kingdom, inasmuch as the elephant and the 

 Jersey cow are not indig-enoiis to the same territory. If they 

 were, those partial to a milk diet, when journeying on an ele- 

 phant, might sometimes find themselves full of butter. 



