132 WANDERINGS OF A 



Long before day-dawn the well-known call of the spur- 

 winged lapwing (Zohivanellus goensis) was heard. This un- 

 settled water-sprite often flies about at night, startling the 

 ■unwary with its cry of Lid dee doo it, did did did dee doo it. 

 Like the European lapwing, it assails all who intrude on its 

 haunts. The homy spurs on the wings I have never seen used 

 either as a means of attack or defence. When morning 

 dawned we found ourselves on the banks of the Swan, one of 

 several streams which rise at the foot of the Himalayas, and, 

 coursing westward, empty themselves into the Indus. Many 

 of these tributaries are completely dried up in summer, and 

 present only a series of pools and stagnant ponds, with broad 

 pebbly beds. They are very different, however, during the 

 rainy season, when, after a storm, the rush of water from the 

 slopes around is frequently sudden and furious. On one 

 occasion, during a terrific thunderstorm which took place in 

 February near Eawul Pindee, three soldiers were bathing in 

 one of these pools, when the flood overwhelmed them so sud- 

 denly that they were carried away by its violence. One poor 

 fellow was drowned, and on recovering his body, a few days 

 afterwards, it was found to be horribly disfigured by a small 

 species of crab which abounds iu the rivers and streams of 

 the Punjaub. The fish called masseer is prized by Europeans 

 more for the sport it affords than as an article of food, being 

 frequently caught by the rod and fly ; however, in the more 

 rapid parts of the Punjaub rivers throughout these mountain- 

 courses, it attains not only a very large size,* but its flesh is 

 firm and savoury. It is said to spawn in the deep ponds 

 above mentioned., where it is occasionally caught. We observed 

 a flock of cranes in the shallow waters of the Swan. The 

 crane migrates to Central Asia in May. Journeying on, we 



* Individuals 30 to 40 lbs. in weight have been captured. 



