MALAYAN OKNrTIIOLOGY. 183 



the peninsula, probably owing to its being extremely flat, well 

 watered, cleared of jungle, and perhaps to its being very near the 

 limit of the migration south. To a very great extent it is covered 

 with paddy-fields ; and on the rough uncultivated land bordering 

 these the Snipe are extremely plentiful, enormous numbers often 

 being shot in a day. One morning early in November, 1877, I 

 bagged thirty-five couple by midday, and had quite as good sport 

 on other occasions ; but during the season of 1879, which was an 

 exceptionally good one, the birds simply swarming, far larger bags 

 were made, an officer of my regiment having bagged fifty-six couple 

 to his own gun on one day, and fifty-four on another. But this 

 represents good shooting ; for it must not be imagined that the birds 

 can be knocked down with a stick. Far from it, anything over 

 twenty couple means really straight shooting and hard work, as the 

 walking is bad and the heat intense. 



A good retriever is very useful ; but few dogs can stand the sun 

 for any length of time. I used to keep mine closely clipped, except 

 his head and a broad stripe down his back, which proved a great 

 protection to his spine ; but in spite of all precautions, after a time, 

 he got. altogether out of condition. Without a dog birds are often 

 lost, particularly on bushy ground, though the Malay boys, sharp 

 little urchins, with more intelligence than clothes, who follow and 

 carry one's cartridges, are generally very good at marking down the 

 dead and wounded; still a dog is preferable to the best of human 

 retrievers. 



Near Thaipeng, in the native state of Larut, I was once one of a 

 party who attempted to shoot Snipe from elephants ; but I cannot 

 advise anyone to go and do likewise, at least if their dinner depends 

 on what they kill. It happened thus. We had been all day in the 

 jungle after a rogue elephant, which had done considerable mis- 

 chief ; but he proved too much for us, and got safely away to the 

 hills without giving anyone the slightest chance of a shot, though 

 at one time we were close to him. In the afternoon, on our way 

 home, we had to pass near a celebrated Snipe-ground of consider- 

 able extent,. swampy, and much overgrown with low bushes. " Let's 

 try and shoot some Snipe from our elephants' backs ! " exclaimed 

 one of our number. The novelty of the thing pleased all ; so off we 



