160 THE MALLARD. 
up and secure as many as possible. Unless you are all very 
“spry,’ a good many of those which have been entangled 
somehow get away. If there are many, it is best to pluck up 
the poles rapidly, and throw the net down on the water, the 
fowl undermost ; and when you have flushed a little too soon, 
and the mass of the birds are high in the net, you must do this. 
Not only Wild Fowl, but Geese, Godwit, and Curlew, and all 
kinds of waders are often found securely meshed. I have had 
the net completely thrown down by a heavy haul of Geese, 
(I think we secured seventy of them), and I have, on several 
occasions, bagged over 200 birds of sorts in a single drive. 
On the other hand, many and many a drive has yielded only 
half a dozen Teal and Godwit. Most certainly this is very 
exciting sport, requiring a great deal of skill and organization, 
and thorough training of your men; and as in a properly chosen 
jhil, you ought never to get over the tops of your marsh boots, 
it has for you no drawbacks, but your men must be well fed 
and have good blankets, and be looked after a good deal, or 
they willall get fever. It is no use payzug them well ; they will 
always stint themselves. You must give them free rations, 
plenty of gurv and ghz, and a sheep now and then, and see they 
eat it. The same men will manage your nets for fishing, (they 
should be Mullahs and Kahars), and make themselves useful in 
many ways; and, though the “plant” is a little expensive to 
begin with, (properly taken care of it will last for years,) and 
you will want at least six and probably ten men, as permanent 
servants for the five months, you will certainly get your money’s 
worth, if you are marching in a country full of jhils, and 
abounding in Water Fowl and Fish. 
The third method is by fall nets, set in a place where Fowl ha- 
bitually feed, and which is regularly baited for them with grain. 
Natives undoubtedly are very successful with these nets, but 
I have never been so, and as I have already referred to this plan 
(ante note, p. 37) I need say no more about it now. 
Certainly, in my opinion, a Mallard in good condition is the 
very best Duck for the table that we have in India. The 
Common Teal and Pintail come next, and Grey Duck, Gadwall 
and both the Red-headed and Red-crested Pochards are often 
excellent, but a good Mallard is facile princeps. 
THE MALLARD breeds in vast numbers in Cashmere, and possibly 
a few breed elsewhere in the Himalayas, at moderate elevations. 
Brooks found a pair for instance, in the middle of May, on a small 
mountain tarn, above Derali in the valley of the Bhagirathi, which 
very possibly would have bred there, and I have heard of other 
pairs being met with even later at small secluded lakelets in 
various parts of the Western Himalayas, at elevations of from 
5,000 to 9,000 feet. Sotoo, as already mentioned, it is just 
_ Pee 
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