Like ducks they circle the waterhole several times before alighting 
and, if suspicious of danger, they seek another place to settle down, 
even though it is at a considerable distance. It is surprisingly 
difficult to bring down a bird, and shot smaller than No. 6 is astonish- 
ingly ineffective except at close range. As with ducks, several days of 
shooting at a waterhole is sufficient to drive most of the birds away 
for periods up to 2 to 3 weeks in length. 
In Turkey normal first-day bags for two guns were 10 to 20 birds, 
though occasionally more were shot. In India the hunting of imperial 
sandgrouse was usually reserved for Maharajahs and their important guests. 
The most famous shoot was that of the Maharajah of Bikaner in the desert 
of north central Rajasthan. Shooting was from concrete blinds constructed 
along the almost level banks. of the tank (small lake) at Gajner and was 
so well organized that birds were encouraged to concentrate here by being 
denied access to all other waterholes for a dozen miles around. Here, in 
1921 a partyof 12 guns including Lord Rawlinson and the Maharajah harvested 
5,968 sandgrouse in two consecutive morning shoots (Burton, 9). Similar 
hunts, though on a much smaller scale, were the rule in other parts of 
Rajasthan and West Pakistan wherever the imperial wintered in sizable 
numbers. 
In recent years some diminution in the abundance of imperial sand- 
grouse has been reported even though the occasional massive slaughtering 
of birds at waterholes has been largely a thing of the past for 10 to 15 
years. Watering areas for sandgrouse that once required a day's ride 
by horseback to reach are now only a matter of hours away by jeep. Today 
fewer birds fall to one gun, but there are many more guns afield. Still 
this bird, over most of its range, maintains its numbers surprisingly 
well in the face of heavy hunting pressure. 
The pursuit of birds on the open range can be a frustrating experi- 
ence. Imperials normally flush at long shotgun range, from a hunter on 
foot, though they may often be more closely approached with a jeep. In 
the old days, knowledgeable hunters made use of camels or donkeys behind 
which they cautiously approached a sitting bird. As can be imagined, 
skill, patience, and plenty of time were the ingredients then required to 
collect even a modest bag. 
Relation to Other Game Birds 
Within the moister parts of the range of the imperial sandgrouse, 
both winter and summer, are found other game birds that inhabit semi- 
arid tracts. Included among these are other sandgrouse, doves, gray 
francolins, and bustards. When precipitation is above 10 inches a year 
in Spain one may also find red-legged partridges., Watering places are 
shared by all these without trouble. Feeding areas are widespread, as 
are nesting sites. No signs of antagonism or of territorial aggressive- 
ness were observed or have been reported in the literature dealing with 
these species. 
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