GAME ANIMALS OF KASHMIR. 
875 
These horns are a poor record, but Kashmir and the adjacent districts do 
not supply any better. It may be that the serow are overshot and do not 
reach old age, for many sportsmen want a specimen to complete a collection. 
In the United Provinces horns of 10 inches are not rare. 12" is a really good 
head but this length has been exceeded. 
A frightened serow utters a screeching whistle, which when once started it 
will continue for some time. 
On a winter’s day in one of the Game Reserves this noise was repeated over and 
over again. The verandah of the very rough shed in which residence had been 
taken up looked over the river and across an open flat space about 150 yards 
wide, then came a path following the line of the hills on the opposite side of the 
river. The serow w'as somewhere on the flat and upstream. 
It was a bright sunny day, and, as the snow was slowly melting, walking was 
not easy as the surface w'ould not bear but gave way with a jerk. 
Going round by the bridge and walking up stream along the path, which as 
mentioned skirted the opposite hill, took about lialf an hour. The path turned 
to the right and went round a few rocks which jutted out ; beyond this corner 
nothing could be seen except the bushes on the flat covered with snow, forming 
a number of pure white mounds. 
The path as usual was marked with deer tracks, but there w'as nothing to 
guide or to give a clue as to what animal had frightened the serow ; probably a 
leopard was on the prowl, but it might be that pigs were about. 
In order to see round the rocky corner an attempt to get off the path to 
the left was made, but the bushes and snow made bad going ; the serow stopped 
whistbng by the time the corner was turned, it was standing in the open on the 
flat, and the track of its move from the hills was plain. On the road opposite 
the serow were the marks of a leopard, also the sign in the snow where it had 
crouched and watched. When disturbed it had moved up the valley from there it 
crossed the riv'er by a bridge up stream of the hut and went into the hills. 
Unless accompanied by trained dogs it is not good enough to follow a leopard 
up hill in heavy snow, of this more will be written hereafter 
The serow was in luck for the leopard would in all probabihty have killed it 
when it went back to the hill side. 
The spring was at hand, and soon the migrating finches would arrive, the 
little anemones and the tulips would be in flower. The leopards would lose their 
advantage over the deer and serow, and most animal life would rejoice for there 
had been a very severe winter and heavy snow falls. The reports of kills by 
leopards were veiy numerous, seventeen deer having been accounted for in 
Achhabal Rukh alone ! It was vexatious to have been done by the ‘ pard,’ 
but probably the serow was saved. 
The difficulty in getting a shot at a serow is due to the ground it frequents. 
Standing absolutely stiU it is difficult to see amongst the trees and rocks ; prob- 
ably it is concealed and is watching the sportsman, then suddenly it dashes 
off and is gone in a second. 
If found on bare rock the serow is in an almost inaccessible spot where 
it has for some reason or other taken refuge, and is then much on the alert. 
When serow are plentiful sooner or later the sportsman after topping the crest 
of a ridge will get an easy shot. There is no rule which governs serow 
shooting, all that can be done is to make the best of the chance when it comes. 
No. 354.— GORAL. 
THE PIJUR OF KASHMIR. 
Not being concerned with the scientific side of sport and wild animals at 
present, let us adhere to Jerdon’s classification and class the serow with 
goral, leaving discussion to the future. 
