Antlers 



favourite noonday siesta site for this herd from the 

 matter-of-fact manner in which they were slowly 

 wending their way towards it. Some were already 

 seated in its shade. Others were just entering into 

 it, whilst a long, straggling tail, spread out for 

 some 100 yards across the maidan, all gradually 

 on their way to escape the rays of the sun, already 



The midday siesta— Barasingha. 



getting hot (though not yet 9 a.m.) in this month 

 ,of April in the Central Provinces. 



It was interesting to watch the manner in which 

 this herd loitered their way along, stopping to crop 

 here and there some succulent tuft of grass, or the 

 young, playful stags to have a tour de force against 

 each other, to try their strength and to see how the 

 horns — those adornments of which they were 

 secretly so proud — were coming on in view of 

 future encounters for the possession of the gentle 

 but wideawake does. But my attention was 

 chiefly taken up, firstly, with a magnificent stag 



39 



