﻿18 
  A 
  MONOGRAPH 
  OF 
  THE 
  PHEASANTS 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  spaniel 
  has 
  meantime 
  rushed 
  down 
  to 
  us, 
  noses 
  the 
  bird 
  near 
  my 
  feet, 
  and 
  then 
  

   her 
  eyes 
  follow 
  me. 
  She 
  hears 
  the 
  crash 
  below 
  and 
  is 
  off. 
  I 
  tell 
  the 
  native 
  to 
  follow, 
  as 
  

   it 
  is 
  far 
  down, 
  and 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  large 
  for 
  her 
  to 
  carry 
  ; 
  but 
  she 
  appears 
  again 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   minutes 
  and 
  lays 
  the 
  bird 
  at 
  my 
  feet, 
  and 
  then 
  lies 
  panting 
  and 
  wagging 
  her 
  tail. 
  I 
  

   whistle 
  for 
  the 
  native 
  and 
  he 
  returns, 
  and 
  picking 
  up 
  the 
  birds 
  makes 
  his 
  way 
  after 
  me, 
  

   scrambling 
  up 
  the 
  torrent 
  bed. 
  On 
  reaching 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  birds 
  rose, 
  I 
  again 
  

   wave 
  the 
  spaniel 
  forward 
  ; 
  she 
  dashes 
  hither 
  and 
  thither 
  for 
  a 
  minute 
  and 
  is 
  then 
  off 
  

   again 
  towards 
  the 
  crest, 
  and 
  very 
  soon 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  yap, 
  yap, 
  and 
  I 
  get 
  a 
  glimpse 
  of 
  

   a 
  bird 
  topping 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  then 
  just 
  time 
  for 
  a 
  snap 
  as 
  he 
  swishes 
  past 
  me, 
  this 
  time 
  

   between 
  the 
  trees. 
  I 
  cannot 
  hear 
  or 
  see 
  any 
  result, 
  but 
  will 
  look 
  later, 
  as 
  the 
  spaniel, 
  

   instead 
  of 
  returning 
  to 
  me, 
  remains 
  above, 
  giving 
  a 
  harsh 
  woof 
  every 
  few 
  seconds. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  know 
  what 
  that 
  means 
  well 
  enough. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  is 
  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  

   branches 
  of 
  a 
  tree, 
  probably 
  wondering 
  why 
  this 
  funny-looking 
  new 
  sort 
  of 
  jackal 
  is 
  

   behaving 
  in 
  such 
  an 
  unusual 
  manner, 
  and 
  thinking 
  everything 
  is 
  not 
  as 
  it 
  should 
  be, 
  

   makes 
  up 
  his 
  mind 
  to 
  join 
  his 
  companions 
  below. 
  I 
  am 
  warned 
  by 
  a 
  flutter 
  and 
  the 
  

   change 
  in 
  the 
  dog's 
  voice, 
  but 
  before 
  I 
  can 
  get 
  myself 
  into 
  position 
  to 
  shoot, 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  

   past 
  me 
  and 
  goes 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  rejoicing. 
  

  

  " 
  Now, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  long 
  way 
  back, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  like 
  leaving 
  the 
  bird 
  I 
  shot 
  at 
  

   without 
  having 
  a 
  look 
  round 
  where 
  he 
  might 
  have 
  fallen, 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  pretty 
  certain 
  I 
  was 
  

   on 
  him 
  when 
  I 
  pulled 
  the 
  trigger 
  ; 
  so 
  down 
  we 
  go 
  again, 
  but 
  all 
  we 
  find 
  are 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  feathers, 
  so 
  we 
  conclude 
  that 
  probably, 
  if 
  he 
  fell 
  at 
  all, 
  it 
  was 
  far 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  

   below, 
  and 
  I 
  console 
  myself 
  by 
  thinking 
  if 
  he 
  is 
  badly 
  wounded 
  he 
  will 
  make 
  a 
  good 
  

   meal 
  for 
  some 
  jackal 
  to-night, 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  left 
  long 
  to 
  linger 
  in 
  pain. 
  The 
  sun 
  must 
  be 
  

   up 
  by 
  this 
  time, 
  but 
  we 
  cannot 
  tell 
  for 
  certain 
  here, 
  as 
  the 
  nullah 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  ridge. 
  We 
  make 
  our 
  way 
  over 
  a 
  ridge, 
  intending 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  next 
  small 
  nullah, 
  

   scarcely 
  hoping 
  now 
  to 
  hear 
  birds 
  calling, 
  as 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  this 
  is 
  nearly 
  over. 
  However, 
  

   we 
  are 
  pleasantly 
  surprised, 
  and 
  are 
  soon 
  off 
  after 
  another 
  ' 
  snide/ 
  fortunately 
  in 
  a 
  

   splendid 
  place 
  — 
  a 
  small 
  plateau 
  covered 
  with 
  bushes, 
  overhung 
  by 
  an 
  almost 
  

   perpendicular 
  piece 
  of 
  khud. 
  

  

  "On 
  coming 
  below 
  the 
  plateau, 
  I 
  rest 
  a 
  minute 
  for 
  breath, 
  and 
  then 
  push 
  on, 
  waving 
  

   the 
  little 
  dog 
  forward. 
  These 
  birds 
  have 
  evidently 
  been 
  running 
  about 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  place, 
  

   feeding, 
  and 
  the 
  spaniel 
  clearly 
  shows 
  by 
  her 
  flashing 
  stern 
  and 
  eager 
  movements 
  that 
  

   scent 
  is 
  abundant, 
  but 
  she 
  finds 
  a 
  difficulty 
  in 
  hitting 
  off 
  the 
  line. 
  The 
  next 
  second 
  she 
  

   stops 
  dead 
  before 
  a 
  bush, 
  looking 
  over 
  her 
  shoulder 
  at 
  me, 
  and 
  at 
  my 
  nod 
  dashes 
  in, 
  and 
  

   out 
  bundles 
  a 
  young 
  Koklass, 
  which, 
  rising 
  ten 
  yards 
  from 
  me, 
  makes 
  off, 
  but 
  gets 
  no 
  

   further 
  than 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  probably 
  as 
  easy 
  a 
  shot 
  as 
  one 
  ever 
  gets 
  at 
  a 
  

   Koklass. 
  

  

  "The 
  faithful 
  spaniel 
  retrieves 
  the 
  bird 
  and 
  then 
  returns 
  to 
  the 
  bushes, 
  and 
  after 
  

   some 
  feathering 
  around, 
  strikes 
  a 
  line 
  for 
  the 
  steep 
  khud 
  side. 
  Up 
  and 
  up 
  she 
  bounds, 
  

   never 
  missing 
  her 
  footing 
  and 
  never 
  faltering. 
  Now 
  she 
  is 
  lost 
  from 
  view, 
  but 
  a 
  second 
  

   or 
  two 
  later 
  her 
  voice 
  is 
  heard, 
  and 
  almost 
  at 
  once 
  out 
  hurry 
  three 
  birds 
  ; 
  the 
  first 
  shot 
  

   crumples 
  up 
  one 
  as 
  he 
  comes 
  towards 
  me, 
  the 
  second 
  is 
  nearly 
  overhead 
  as 
  I 
  fire, 
  and 
  he 
  

   goes 
  on 
  apparently 
  unscathed. 
  We 
  clamber 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  circuitous 
  route 
  and 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  

   top 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  again, 
  and 
  sit 
  there 
  for 
  a 
  minute 
  wondering 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  best 
  way 
  

   to 
  go 
  now, 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  well 
  up, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  chance 
  of 
  hearing 
  any 
  more 
  birds 
  calling. 
  

  

  