828 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVlll. 
the water to one’s eyes, and thick boots and gloves scarce served to keep 
a vestige of warmth in feet and fingers. And yet, looking back on it 
all, there was a wonderful fascination in skirting round the sleeping 
city whence came as yet no sound but the barking of a dog, the tinkle 
of bells from some shaggy camel drowsily shaking his head in the 
Kabul Sarai, the crowing of a cock or the voice of the Muezzin, each 
in his own way heralding the coming dawn, sharp and clear in the 
frosty air. Dawn breaks shortly before the nullah is reached and on 
arrival some conveniently placed straw, sticks, etc., are set alight 
and serve to make a cheerful blaze at which hands may be warmed for 
a moment before beginning the business of the day. 
“ The shikari had made arrangements for a couple of lads to meet 
us, and when a start was made the modus operandi was as follows : — 
“ The nullah at this point was too broad for both sides to be work- 
ed by one gun, so the shikari and I made our way along the bottom 
of the nullah, following the stream, whilst the two lads were to form 
line with us along the top of the cliffs which flank the nidlah on either 
.side, one keeping along the edge of the cliffs and throwing down stones 
into such cover as there might be, and the other keeping out some 
distance in the plain to round up any birds which might be out feeding 
on th? plain or in the scattered patches of cultivation which occurred 
here and there. We had scarcely gone a hundred yeards when out 
came a See-see from a deep waterworn fissure in the cliffs. Directly 
this bird takes wing, one knows it is a See-see for his fast beating wings 
make a sound which to me always seems to be rather a metallic “tinkle” 
than the “whirr” of the large partridges. I can see that bird now as he 
shot straight down the deep cleft towards me for a second and then, as 
mv gun went up he swerved abrubtly round the comer and up the main 
nullah, vnth the result that I missed him badly and ])lastered the | 
cliff with shot yards behind him. | 
“And so it went on up the nullah, several See-see being brought I 
dovm and several missed. Occasionally a bird would cross the nullah j 
from the cliffs on one side to those opposite, but generally it was a | 
case of a bird skimming away following the line of the cliffs and slip- ! 
ping round a corner, or of birds driven in from the edge of the plain 5 
on top. These latter, put up by one of the boys, would drop like t 
stones into the nullah over the edge of the cliffs where they *thought i 
they were safe. The discovery that they had as it were jumped out of j 
the frying pan into the fire must have been a rude shock to them, j 
but they did not lose their nerve for long, and would jink, turn and 
swing away the moment thay saw one, often offering most puzzling 
shots in their sudden changes of direction. 
“ A couple of blue rock pigeon were added to the bag out of a good 
number seen, and some duck, disturbed higher up, and coming straight 
down the stream, gave me a beautiful shot which resulted in the 
death of their leader, a fine drake gadwal. A patch of scrub gave me 
