RED JUNGLEFOWL 199 



"The best way of shooting these birds here in the Sundarbans is by proceeding 

 morning and evening along the edge of the forest, between it and the rice-fields. The 

 sportsman will thus flush two or three coveys of them, and secure a few brace. The 

 largest bag that could be obtained by a single gun would hardly be more than three or 

 four brace." — (Mr. Rainey). 



" The Burmese Junglefowl is similar to those in Assam and over the greater part of 

 India, but perhaps a little smaller. It is a game little fellow, and at times affords 

 excellent sport. I used to take up my position on an elephant and have them beaten up 

 towards me, and once or twice I found them as plentiful as pheasants in a preserve in 

 England. Once on the wing, they are very swift and strong fliers, and require a good 

 blow to knock them over. — (Pollok). 



" In Perak I found Junglefowl breeding from March to July ; and the young, when 

 three or four weeks old, were capital eating — far better than the full-grown bird, which 

 has but little more game flavour than the ordinary domestic fowl. 



"At the first glimmer of daylight, and again towards evening, the Junglecocks 

 may be heard in all directions, crowing loudly, and by very careful stalking may 

 occasionally be got at ; but I found far the most successful plan was, either early in the 

 morning, or else about sunset, to sneak quietly along the edges of clearings and patches 

 of cultivation, which at those times the Junglefowl frequent in search of food ; and in 

 this way, by dodging from bush to bush, I frequently rendered a good account of them. 

 But it required the most careful stalking, as on the slightest alarm the birds ran into 

 the thick jungle, where it was almost useless to follow them. Once or twice I shot them 

 in thick cover, by letting my dog hunt them up into the trees, which they did not leave 

 till I was within range. 



" In Province Wellesley, the Malays decoy Junglefowl by imitating the crowing 

 and flapping of the wings of the cock, when the birds coming to accept the supposed 

 challenge are shot." — (Kelham). 



From personal experience in the actual jungle in the Malay States and elsewhere, 

 I can assure the sportsman that hunting the Junglefowl is far from being a simple 

 matter of dogs or beaters. There may be many all around you, and yet if you are not 

 willing to abase yourself to the very earth and stalk them with all the woodcraft which 

 you possess, and then shoot the bird as it stands or perches, you need not expect 

 success. Of the Philippine Junglefowl we read, " They are difficult to shoot, as they 

 are very wary, and I have hunted for hours with birds crowing all about me without 

 getting a shot." 



COCK-FIGHTING 



Cock-fighting has been carried on through much of the historical period, and the 

 literature of nations contains many interesting accounts of this sport. The mention 

 of one must suffice for us. 



The seriousness with which cock-fighting is undertaken by the natives of India is 

 shown by a most interesting and amusing treatise called Murgh-Nama, or " Extract 

 on Cocking " as we might translate it. This was written by Nawab Yar Muhammad 

 Khan of the Rampur State many years ago, and formed a part of the Sayd-gah-i 

 Shawkati, an Urdu work on sport. I give a few extracts from this, translated by my 



