MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 
1129 
In a wild state, judging from cases I have knowm of wild tuskers coming down 
to worry our tame herds and occasionally induchag a tame cow to elope with them, 
“ musth ” usually comes on at end of December or in January when vegetation 
is at its best, but in tame herds, which are generally worked till the end of Feb- 
ruary, “ musth ” does not come on till later, after the elephants have had time 
to pick up and get into good condition. 
There is something radically wrong with any mature bull which does not come 
on “musth” at least once annually and if looked into the cause will be foimd to be 
ill-health or more usually over work which may have taken place one or even two 
years before. To my mind the only cure in either case is complete rest in a good 
grazing area for six months, a year, or even longer, though tonics may assist 
matters a bit. 
J. C. C. WILSON. 
Maihongsong, Siam, 
19th July 1922. 
No. X.— FURTHER NOTES ON TRAPPING. 
In some earlier notes I attempted to describe my impressions of trapping m 
heavy jungle and at the time of witing them was of the opinion that trapping 
mider these conditions was the most trying pastime imaginable, wherein I was 
sadly mistaken, as the first day’s trapping in open coimtry forcibly showed me, 
and which I shall now try and describe. 
Imagine for your setting then, any part of the Plains of India, as plain as 
your imagination can run to. 
A cursory inspection on arrival had shown me a number of things of interest 
to the collector, such as the fact that every ridge dividing one field from another 
had a number of rat boles and runs along it, and that almost every suitable bush 
had a rat or mouse hole at its roots. This gave me a fair id 3a as to where the 
traps had best be placed, and I set out accordingly with a light heart to do so. 
Selecting a ridge that had a fair number of thorny stimted bushes growing 
on it I started to set traps or, I should say, nearly started, for, as I bent 
down to examine a promising looking rat run, I noticed a man, at work 
with a plough not 50 yards away, gazing at me intently. That rather 
spoilt that ridge, but nothing daimted, I started for an equally promis- 
ing looking one some way off. When I was about half way there a goat-herd 
appeared like a phantom from behind a bush that didn’t look big enough to 
conceal a quail. “ That’s that ” said I, and thanking providence and the local 
ryots for having arranged a liberal number of ridges per square mile, I made for 
another. “At last” I thought as I drew near it, “I’m safe”; just then a hare got up 
and offered me a very tempting shot which I took, this had very little effect on 
the hare, but drew excited exclamations from four urchins who I found had been 
following me unknown to myself. I turned on them and shouted to them to 
“ Jao ” and they responded vigorously. I then decided on a ridge in the distance ; 
and towards it I made, walking in a manner I reckoned should arouse little or no 
suspicion. I passed two boys en-route and was glad to see that they did not seem 
to be aware of my existence. On reaching the ridge I had a good look round to 
satisfy myself that I was not being watched and, seeing no watchers, started to set 
traps. I had just set my third, when my skinner who was with me touched me 
on the shoulder and pointed, and, following the direction his finger pointed to, I saw 
a head bob up and then as rapidly down again behind a bush. I felt like putting 
a charge of No. 6 shot into it but refrained from so doing. Now, being evening, 
time was an item not to be ignored, and knowing this I was getting irritable, but 
as a last venture I decided to make for a deserted garden that looked as though it 
couldn’t possibly hold more than rats, mice and cobra. I got into it and searched 
