44 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA 



the sportsman at least, superior to the allurements of 

 such poor antiquities. 



Snipe and wild fowl begin to arrive in these central 

 regions of India, voyaging from the frozen wilds of Central 

 Asia, early in October ; and, before the end of November, 

 every piece of water and swampy hollow afiords its con- 

 tingent to the gun. The common teal,^ and the whistling 

 teal,2 are the most numerous, as well as the first to make 

 their appearance. The lovely blue-winged teal ^ is scarcely 

 less common ; and of larger ducks, the red-headed pochard,* 

 the wigeon,^ the pintail,^ and the gadwall,'' are found 

 throughout the winter on nearly every tank of tolerable 

 size. On the main rivers, and on the larger reservoirs, 

 such as those of Bhandara and Lachora, in Nimar, which, 

 though owing their existence to the hand of man (the 

 giants of past days, who knew the requirements of India 

 better than their successors), yet approach the dignity 

 of lakes, many other species of wild fowl will be found, 

 including that king of ducks, the mallard,^ the common 

 gray goose,^ and the black-backed goose.^" The latter 

 species is extremely common; the others, which are 

 much superior for the table, are comparatively infrequent. 

 Numerous wading birds, storks, herons, and cranes, haunt 

 every pool and marsh. Few of these offer much tempta- 

 tion to the sportsman, except the Demoiselle crane,^^ 

 generally known as the Coolen, which is much sought 

 after, and is therefore diflficult to approach. Few exten- 

 sive wheat or gram fields in the Narbada valley will be 

 found at this season without a flock of these delicious 

 birds stalking across it, in the morning and evening, 

 grazing on the young shoots. 



If encamped in the neighbourhood of a river or swamp, 

 the traveller will probably be aroused at daybreak by the 

 quavering and sonorous call of the giant Sarus crane,^^ a 



^ Querquedula crecca. ^ Dendrocygna awsuree. 



* Q. circia. * Anthia ferina. 

 ^ Mareca ^enelope. ^ Dafila acuta. 



' Chandlelasmus streperus. ^ Anas boschas. 



* Anser dnereus. i" A. melanonotus. 

 "■ Anthropoides virgo. ^^ Grus amtigone. 



