1883.] S. E. FeaX—JVotes of a trip up tie DiUng, 19 



ed to the stories, ov guided the co?tversation, in the dusk after dinner. The 

 moon also was out and lit up the scene, and made us feel a little more at 

 home. 



I noticed our guide's mate Thang, both now and subsequently, very 

 careful not only in how he tied the canoe in case of a rush of water taking 

 it adrift, but also in the selection of a site for it, on enquiry it turned 

 out that his caution was to enable us easily jump on board and push off in 

 case of any sudden emergency. The old fellow was full of " wrinkles," 

 though we probably did not see half of them, from his not speaking 

 Asamese. 



In the early morning at dawn we heard in the fog, a bear coming down 

 along one bank, but though we all kept quiet, he turned off, ere he came 

 near, perhaps having winded us. It is very curious that bear tracks are so 

 seldom seen on the ground, and yet so very common up and down large tree 

 stems. Judging by the tracks alcne, here in Asam, one would suppose (of 

 course erroneously) that bears were entirely arboreal. To one track on the 

 ground, I have probably seen as a rule thousands on tree stems, one reason 

 is that the latter remain, and those in mud or sand are soon effaced. At 

 times they make what the Asamese call " nests," in trees, and I have 

 examined several unmistakably made and used by them. They are, how- 

 ever, only " roosts," made by clawing in, and breaking, leafy branches that 

 grow near, so as to form a comfortable place to sit or lie on, in the sun. I 

 have seen as many as three in one tree, at various heights, the lower 

 two broken with branches hanging, where they said the bear had, in rolling 

 about, gone through ; in all three the foliage had turned brown while the 

 rest of the tree was bright green, and these roosts were thus conspicuous ; 

 the tracks were plentiful as marks and scratches on the tree stem but on 

 the ground none. Generally the marks on a tree stem are those of the five 

 claws. 



At about 10 A. M. we got off as usual after breakfast, and found the 

 rapids rather troublesome. At one place, going along the bank near a flat, 

 all covered with high tufts of ekra grass, an Asamese on ahead suddenly 

 bobbed down and pointed in, and creeping up we saw at about 100 yards a 

 very large female wild buffalo, quietly browsing, and as usual a lot of mainas 

 about, and on it. We waited to see more but she seemed alone, and had 

 the long thin horns usual in some females. Later in the day we saw ano- 

 ther, and while watching it grazing, several others appeared, eventually we 

 counted nine and no big males. The four Asamese and the Kamti Lutak 

 would not of course eat buffalo, and thus there was only four who would, 

 i. e , myself, a Kachari, my servant, and the Singphu Thang who would have 

 eaten several shares, so I selected a calf and fired with the little M. H. C. 

 at about 200 yards, not being able to get nearer. At once several other 



