NATURALIST IN INDIA. 179 



on gaining the grassy top of a very steep mountain, I descried 

 a black bear feeding very intently, and as the wind was 

 favourable, there "was no difficulty in stealing within thirty 

 yards. On firing the contents of my .first barrel into his body 

 he gave a loud grunt, and, unconscious of the direction from 

 which the shot came, cantered to within a few yards of me, 

 when a second bullet through his loins brought him up, and 

 he stood hesitating for a moment ; then coiling himself into a 

 ball, he rolled down the hill-side, bounding from one promi- 

 nence to another like a huge cricket-ball, until brought to a 

 stand-still on a flat, on which he unrolled himself, and running 

 to the next declivity, rolled to the bottom, when he took to his 

 legs and disappeared from our view in the dense cover. His 

 downward course was marked with blood, but night came on, 

 and rendered farther pursuit perfectly useless. I was not 

 sorry to lose this bear at the onset of my shooting, as I 

 learned the truth of experience and what an old Himalayan 

 shickaree had told me, that a bear wiU carry away as many 

 bullets as you can send into his hinder quarters, but one be- 

 hind the shoulder, in the forehead, or breast, wiU be certain to 

 drop him. The above is a favourite proceeding with the black 

 bear if suddenly frightened, or when he finds himseK on a 

 steep mountain and at a great distance from jungle or cover. 



On the 18th of April we raised our camp, and proceeded 

 eastward over the mountain of Wunster Wun, where we had 

 been shooting for the two previous days, into a beautiful 

 little vaUey, about three miles long by a mile or so in 

 breadth. A river, fed by numerous rills from the high ranges 

 on each side, flowed down the middle, and, dividing into 

 many branches, served to irrigate the rice-fields. It is 

 wonderful how the eye adapts itself to seeing objects at long 

 distances. My shickaree would seat himself on a hiU-side, 



