The Partridges of Bengal. 225 



and the Caragola side of the river, and are invariably well 

 stocked with these partridges. They are always found close 

 to these small pools of water, and frequent the densest part of 

 the high reeds. If one attempts to beat them up in the day 

 time it is necessary to force a way through the tangled 

 mass on an elephant; and though, with five or six more as 

 beaters, plenty of birds will be put up, it is extremely difficult 

 to recover them when they fall into the thick jungle. The 

 best plan is to go out with men as beaters, either in the 

 morning or evening, when the birds leave their almost im- 

 penetrable coverts, and venture out into the lower grass to 

 feed ; then capital sport may be had, as on rising they imme- 

 diately make for the thick cover, and when beating at right 

 angles to it, must necessarily pass along the whole line. The 

 gun nearest the cover has, of course, the best chance ; but 

 unless he kills his bird dead, it is quite useless hunting for a 

 wounded one in the tangled mass. They often perch upon the 

 rose bushes, and give good chances to the pot-hunter. The 

 bird is of a grey colour, handsomely barred across the thigh 

 coverts with brown, and streaked on the breast with the same 

 colour. Ifc is quick in flight, and requires a hard blow to bring- 

 to bag; and last, though not least, is capital eating. Its range 

 appears limited to the country between the Himalayas and the 

 Granges, and not higher up that river than Benares. 



Near Caragola Ghaut a couple of good guns may in a few 

 hours bag eighteen or twenty brace, with about a dozen or 

 twenty beaters, which is very good sport indeed for India, 

 where birds are never preserved. The high reeds that form 

 this thick cover are the same that, cut in small pieces, are sold 

 all over India for the purpose of making pens suitable for 

 writing the native character. When cut down close the 

 stumps are rather dangerous, often piercing the boot and 

 running into the foot; but if, on the other hand, oue discards 

 this open but thorny ground, another danger is likely to occur, 

 which once happened to a friend. As he was raising his gun 

 to fire at a bird which had just got up, one of these- reeds 

 caught in the trigger, the gun went off while yet low, and the 

 charge penetrated a thick bush a little ahead of the beaters, 

 from which immediately issued a series of terrible shrieks. 

 Soon, two small boys were brought to light, badly lacerated 

 by shot, one with his eye put out. It appeared that, contrary 

 to orders, they had smuggled themselves in with the rest of 

 the beaters, in the hope of getting a few pice, and beiDg so 

 small, had managed to wriggle ahead more easily than the 

 men through the reeds. They were both sent off to the nearest 

 hospital, distant thirty miles, and their disconsolate parents 

 easily comforted with a present of a few rupees. 



