608 JOUBNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol XXVIII. 
gun, and disappearing before a rifle could be handled. The bear was left alone 
as it was a female. 
Marching on the next day through the forest of mixed trees was very pleasant, 
but nothing was seen until emerging from the trees a stream was reached and 
the sound of a watei-fall heard. 
Above the waterfall — there was no crossing below the fall — was a steep 
smooth slab of rock over which a wide stream of water flowed. 
On the far side of this slippery and smooth rock a herd of Thar were feeding 
quite unconscious of danger, whilst beyond them and above them were broken 
up cliffs. Between the forest and the stream there was sufficient scrub to cover the 
stalkei-, but the distance from the edge of the water to where the Thar were 
feeding was too far for a certain shot. Sitting amongst the bushes and watching 
was pleasant enough only for a short time, but this had to be endured or the 
idea of getting those Thar had to be given up. After a long wait the animals 
came towards the water, it seemed to be impossible that they could get a 
footing on the smooth slope. Anyway three - bucks came to the edge of 
the water and the leading one was not more than 50 yards away when 
he was shot, and fell forward into the water and in a second was at once 
swept downwards. A second buck hard hit, went upwards and then lay down 
perhaps two hundred yards away. Nothing definite could be seen, and several 
shots were necessary before he rolled out of the rocks on to fairly level ground 
below, and lay dead. 
The Kishtwaris are Hindus, so no throat cutting operations were necessary. 
A coolie was left to try and scare off vultures, whilst the rest of the party descend- 
ed the ravine to look for the first Thar that had fallen. Below where the smooth 
rock ended was a mass of snow. Adjacent to the rock it had been melted by the 
water, leaving an open space and, in this,between rock and snow,the body of the 
Thar was fixed. Evidently time would be required to get it out, so crossing on 
the snow, a return was m^e and the second Thar was picked up and sent into 
the main valley below. Without appliances there was no getting at the first 
Tharand it was not until a pole had been placed acro.ss the chasm and the guy 
ropes of the tents used, that a man could descend and fasten the ropes round 
the body, which could then be hauled up ; but this work had to be deferred 
until the next morning when a bedraggled mass of hair and goat was extracted. 
The snow shde was a boon, for it not only formed a bridge over the side stream 
where the Thar were found, but also over the main water of the valley, for the 
junction of the two waters was close at hand. During various trips on three 
occasions animals have fallen into crevasses or into the water below snow bridges ; 
twice Thar which were got out dead, but the third time a bear which unfor- 
tunately was wounded had to be left, poor beast ! 
There was plenty to do in camp for a day or two, and a fresh start was to have 
been made on the morning of the third day but the post coolie reported he had 
seen a sohtary Thar down the valley. 
The road, or rather cattle track which followed the small river was taken, then 
a halt was made and the glass got out, after along scrutiny the Thar was seen 
lying down under a deodar tree. 
To suit the wind the stalk had to be upwards. When almost vithin shootable 
distance the accommodating animal got up and crossed the narrow nullah imme- 
diately above. A long shot was taken, and the Thar fell, rolling dowm the steep 
incline to within a few yards of where we stood. The distance probably was 
over estimated for the bullet hit high up where the neck joined the body. The 
skin was given to the postal runner, as he explained that Thar skins, when cut 
into strips, were used to fasten the yoke of the ploughs on the cattle as caste 
forbade the hides of cows being touched. 
Three Thar heads were sufficient. As the five mountains (Panjendar) were only 
about 8 or 10 miles further up, the camp was taken on — what a difference there 
