NATURALIST IN INDIA. 227 



carrion-crows. The farmers assured us that the grass was 

 above ground usually on the 20th of May. Poor wretched 

 creatures, every one looked the very image of misery ; and 

 whenever we entered into conversation with them, it was to 

 hear the same old tale of woe and a dread of the future. 

 Such apathy and cold mistrust of everything connected with 

 their government and ruler were surely never seen in any 

 race. It was painful to look on all the wretchedness around 

 us, which, of course, the unseasonable weather aggravated. 

 Most assuredly here was the saying true, that " winter linger- 

 ing chills the lap of May." 



The season was indeed late, for few bears had yet left 

 their caves among the ice and snow. A few herds of ibexes, 

 driven by the severity of the late storm, had been seen lower 

 down, and several bara-singa frequented the pine -forests 

 about. At last a thaw for three days melted nearly all the 

 snow of the late storm, so that we were enabled to ascend 

 some distance, and the bears were every day becomiag more 

 numerous. On the 1st of June, while searching along the 

 side of a steep spur, I came unexpectedly on two of the 

 largest he-bears I had ever seen ; they were within a few 

 yards of me, feeding on the tender shoots of wUd rhubarb. 

 I fired at both, but they escaped. Another was seen feeding 

 undisturbed about 700 yards to leeward, when suddenly the 

 animal appeared to become restless, snuffing the air in 

 various directions, until turning towards us, he continued 

 moving his head from side to side, then suddenly scampered 

 off to his cave among the iaaccessible rocks. I have over 

 and over again proved the want of acuteness of the sense 

 of sight in these animals by foUoiying up the wind until 

 within a few yards of a bear. Their sight is not strong, and 

 they cannot observe objects very clearly at a hundred feet. 



