794 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
Probably sportsmen with wider experience than mine may be able to 
offer more definite information. It is curious that Mr. Inverarity and 
Mr. Reginald Gilbert, have made no mention of this habit in their various 
exhaustive articles in our journal : neither so far as I can call to mind 
have any other writers.” 
The papers by Mr. Inverarity and the late IVIr. Reginald Gilbert which Col. 
Burton refers to are evidently the following : — Sambhar and Sambhar Stalking 
by J. D. Inverarity, Vol. VIII, p. 391, and an article with the same title by 
Reginald Gilbert published in Vol. Ill, p. 224. We give particulars of the journal 
in which they appeared as some members who do not possess the earher 
numbers of the journal might hke to obtain them. 
Sambhar Swinging by their Horns. 
In regard to this Mr. Copley writes : — 
“ Not long ago I was watching a fine Cheetal Stag with attendant ladies 
grazing under a ‘ ber ’ tree which at this time of the year has a plum like fruit. 
This was as usual a pretty jungle scene, but what particularly interested me was 
the fact that several times the stag got up on his hind legs and swept his horns 
through the branches of the ‘ber ’ tree knocking the fruit to ground. Then quite 
bucked with the performance he ate, but would not allow the does to do so. 
Does this bear on the above question ? Mght a ,«ambhar also brushing off 
‘ ber ’ fruit get caught hke Absalom? I cannot think that pleasure is expressed 
by males more than females. My experience is (certainly when watched, in 
big herds) that the females are always up to pleasure, generally being very 
skittish, and female sambhar who are apt to play much more than their lords 
and masters cannot try swinging for pleasure so why should the stags ? So 
if the kind gentleman who next finds the swinging places of sambhar stags will 
kindly tell us the name of the tree, heights, etc., we shall be much more 
nearer the truth.” 
Mr. Dunbar Brander comments as follows : — 
“ The sambhar stands right up on his hind legs during the rut and remains 
so quite a time. In doing so he not infrequently gets his horns over an overhang- 
ing branch ; the tree may be of any species — he is not after food.” 
Lt.-Col. Burton in his letter quoted before writes : — 
“ The legend of sambhar swinging by their horns as a pastime has not come to 
my notice either among the Marias or other jungle people with whom I am 
acquainted.” 
Duck and Snipe in the Central Provinces 
Can any of our members in the Central Provinces answer the following 
question by Mr. Copley ? 
“ Where are the duck and snipe this year in the Central Provinces ? From all 
the different districts I haye had no news, neither have I seen them myself. 
North, East, West and South they are absent, even in places which unhke this 
blessed place, have full tanks and have had plentiful rain during the season.” 
Will members of the Society, w'herover they may be stationed, send us copies 
of their Game books for the past season ? In Mr. Kinnear’s days we tiied 
to collect such information and though we had fewer rephes than we anticipated, 
the rephes received were of considerable use to Mr. Stuart Baker and the au- 
thorities at the British Museum. For the majority of our members such re- 
ports. elaborated a httle with personal notes on the shoots recorded, will be 
of considerable interest. We do not ask our correspondents to give away their 
favourite shooting grounds, the district is all that is necessary for record purposes. 
