THE BARASINGH STAG 
(CERVUS CASHMIRIANUS) 
T HIS fine stag is found in the Vale of Kashmir, chiefly on the 
eastern and south-eastern sides, also over the Sinthan Pass 
into Kishtwar, so that the sportsman has not a great deal of 
marching to do to reach his ground. The introduction of the 
game laws, and the fact that the natives are prohibited from 
selling the horns, has had a good effect on the barasingh; they 
have increased in numbers, and some fine heads have been obtained in 
recent years. Still, they cannot be described as very plentiful, and 
probably there are fewer stags killed in a season in the whole of Kashmir 
than in a single large forest in Scotland. 
The horns of this stag are beautifully shaped, as a rule curving well out 
at the middle and approaching again towards the tips. They seldom carry 
more than twelve points; some of the best heads have only ten, and there 
is not much tendency to cup at the tops. The bez tine is nearly always 
stronger than the brow. In this respect this stag differs from most Euro- 
pean deer, where the reverse is the case. He shares this peculiarity with 
the wapiti, and those killed after the fights of the rutting season are more 
likely to have the bez tine broken than any other. In general coloration 
the barasingh differs but little from the European stag, but always seems 
to me to stand shorter on the legs. 
The forests of Kashmir are more luxurious on the slopes facing the north 
than on those facing south, on which the snow and moisture are too quickly 
dried up; the same thing is noticeable on the wapiti ground in the Tian 
Shan Mountains. The barasingh is a forest -loving animal, and the big 
stags nearly always keep to the higher ground. 
The pleasantest time to hunt him is during the calling season, which 
begins towards the end of September and continues nearly through 
October. 
By November the roaring has ceased, and the stag is difficult to approach, 
even if found, owing to the quantity of fallen leaves, which make so much 
noise in traversing. The first fall of snow gives the hunter a chance again, 
when he can follow tracks and move comparatively noiselessly. 
The call of the barasingh seems to me to resemble that of the European 
stag very closely, though perhaps he squeals more. I have never heard 
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