XXV 
THE SAM BUR 
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antlers. As it takes so long an interval to arrive at 
perfection, it is necessary to protect the young stags 
during their growth. This has never been done; 
accordingly, it is a general complaint that a 
dozen stags may be shot, without one head 
that is worth preserving as a trophy. It is 
an ordinary occurrence to hear European residents 
in India converse upon these subjects as 
though they abhorred the idea of shooting 
females and half-grown animals; but although I 
have been in their company upon many occasions, 
I have seen them fire at females with as little 
compunction as the ordinary native shikari. I 
can safely assert that I never do such an unsports¬ 
manlike thing myself, unless absolutely compelled 
through want of meat for the people, which is seldom 
the case in India. Throughout the whole of last 
season I did not fire at one female of any kind ; and 
the year before, I only killed one doe, to feed the 
Ghond beaters, who had joined me from a consider¬ 
able distance. If people would regulate their shoot¬ 
ing by the rules of sport in civilised countries, 
there would be plenty of game in India; but the 
Government authorities are now locking the 
stable - door when the horse has already been 
stolen. 
Three years ago, in a portion of the Damoh 
district in the Central Provinces, I was shooting 
through a wild range of hills from Kotah to Ghat 
Piperia, and thence to Soonbarro. I was accom¬ 
panied for about a month or five weeks by Bhopal 
