THE NARBADA VAIXEY 55 



be. Many a glorious day did I afterwards pass with, him 

 in the pursuit of nobler game than black bucks. 



The Ghihdrd, or Indian gazelle,^ is another antelope 

 very common in Central India. It is called often the 

 " ravine deer " by sportsmen ; and, as regards the first 

 part of the name, is so far well denoted. Its favourite 

 haunts are the banks of the shallow ravines that often 

 intersect the plain country in the neighbourhood of rivers, 

 and seam the slopes of the higher eminences rising out 

 of the great central table-land. These are generally thinly 

 clothed with low thorny bushes, on the young shoots and 

 pods of which it browses like the domestic goat. Of 

 course it is wrong to call it a " deer," which term properly 

 belongs only to the solid-horned Cervidce. Considerably 

 smaller than the black antelope, the gazelle also differs 

 much from it in habits. It prefers low jungle to the 

 open plain; and trusts more to its watchfulness and 

 activity than to speed, which, however, it also possesses 

 in a high degree. It is very rare to catch a gazelle, or 

 still more a herd of them, off their guard; and it is 

 surprising how, on the least alarm, the little creatures 

 manage to disappear as if by magic. They have prob- 

 ably just hopped into the bottom of a ravine, sped along 

 it like lightning for about a hundred yards, and are 

 regarding you, intent and motionless, from behind the 

 straggling bushes on the next rising ground. Should you 

 foUow them up, they will probably repeat the same 

 manoeuvre, but this time putting three or four ravines 

 between you and them instead of one. They also resort 

 to the cultivation to feed, though not so regularly as the 

 black antelope; and their numbers are not sufficient to 

 do any notable damage. In the morning they may often 

 be found picking their way back to the network of 

 ravines, where they stay during the day. Should you 

 disturb them at this time, they will most likely seek their 

 cover at top speed ; and what that amounts to will amaze 

 you if you let slip a greyhound at them. Chikara have 

 not yet learned the range of the modern " Express " rifle ; 

 and consequently they still often let one get almost within 

 ^ Gazella Bennettii. 



