AXAS BOSCAS. 127 



to this a hardy duck shikari managed to get and then hay hid; his orders 

 were to hide, and when the ducks had settled to put them up. In addition 

 to the advantage of my post, I was immediately in the line of flight 

 between the Hokasai and Anchar Lake. 



" I had started early; the Hokasai party were to begin at noon, but I 

 had not been long in position before the fun began. Thousands streamed 

 over, and many pitched on my marsh, but as they came to the right I 

 could not do much when reclining on my back ; soon they began to fly 

 backwards and forwards over my head, and this they continued to do for 

 hours. I counted over 80 birds down before I sat up to eat my lunch. 

 Thev were on the ice in every direction ; two or three fell so close that I 

 could gather them from the boat, one fell into my cartridge-box. Whilst 

 eating and havino- a smoke the birds were living around, but Avere left to 

 their own ways ; and then I lay down again, the ice had thawed in places, 

 and the wounded birds had w'andered away. I stopped all I could reach, 

 but that was not many. In the afternoon the Teal began to fly round and 

 looked for open water, but none of the big flights would come near me. 

 Single birds came at short intervals ; my cartridges were nearly finished, 

 so I whistled for the men, but they could not hear me ; the shooting on 

 Hokasai ceased, and nearly all the ducks left — now and again a Mallard or 

 Gadwall came flying round the decoys, and fell an easy prey to the .... 

 powder. 



" My men did not remember how long it would take to reach me ; 

 consequently it was nearly dark before I could begin to move,- and then 

 the birds had to be gathered. We collected in all 96, but had to leave 

 many, for they waddled over the ice and got into pools separated from us 

 by thick ice and reeds frozen hard together. Curiously enough not a 

 single Red-crested Pochard came to the gun ; but 53 Mallard were amongst 

 the slain, and very grand they looked when put in a line on the deck of 

 the house-boat.^' 



In Sind, in the cold w^eather of course, the Mallard is found in as great 

 numbers as in Kashmir. Here it is said to collect in flocks of some 

 hinidreds ; but this is not usual, and all over its vast range it will be found 

 more often in small than in large flocks. About a dozen to some twenty 

 or so is perhaps the number most often seen together in one flock, and 

 over forty or fifty is well above the average, whilst flights numbering a 

 hundred will seldom be seen. 



They often, too, are found in pairs, whether in the hot plains of India 

 or in our own cool island. Many, if not most, of us must have, while 



