SHOOTING AT THE EDGE OF A JUNGLE. 10.3
The sight of any alarming objccl causes the wliole lo vauisl) in a second. They
are extremely snappish when young, bul arc not very cUilicult to dotuiciliale.
T h o s e who shoot in India will find from No. 0 to 9 patent, tlie best sizes for
shot. The covers being thick, the game is usually sprung wi lhin a short distance ;
so that even the smallest sliot may, from being little dispersed, kill lieavy birds.
One of the best shots 1 ever saw, never used any other tliaii No. 9; and 1 woul d
venture lo say bis game bag, Ln the same number of discbarges, might vie ^vith
t h a t of any sportsman ! In shooting, much depends on a good eye, qiiickness
of covering, and a smart lock. A person possessing these rc([uisiles with proper
coolncss, might be backed on all occasions, against any more precise but more
d i l a t o r y sportsman, it often happens that a bird rises from the midst, or at ihe
v e r y border, of a lieavy cover, and no timéis to be lost. Wlien the game lies
among the diversion bears a strong resemblance lo %\oodcoc-k shooting; as
thai kind of cover is somet imes tliin and scattered. Jf it have a good mat of grass,
See. at the bottom, abundance of quails may generally be found.
T h e r e are various kinds o fpat r idges ; the most common is the red bird, very
similar lo w h a t is seen in England ; but they are so given lo running, especially
among interspersed covers and ravines, as lo make the pursuit of ihcm very
f a t i g u i n g , and very precarious. They spoil young dogs, which losing their
tempers, rc^ect conlroul, and frc(piently become totally unfit for the field.
N o t h i n g but a rapid pursuit gives tbe sportsman a chance ol success, and even
then along shot must be expected. If ilje bii'd be only winged, he is nearly as
secure as ever; for his legs will carry him fast enougli to eilect bis es«-ape. This
kind of partridge is comnmnl y very dry eating, except in the corn season, when
t h e chicks are excellent.
T h e r e are two distinct kinds of partridge, both known by )lie name of
chuckorc. That which is the true (ire-eater, for it will swallow red Iiot cinders,
&c. is a native of Napaiil, and is rarely seen wild in the Company' s territories.
I t has a short neck, a leather-bound eye, is very plump and round ia ils form,
and has a remarkable ligiire of a crescenl on ils breast. Tliis crescent is of a
deep brown or chocohUe colour: the rest of its plumage dillers little from that
of tbe common grey bird. The other kind of chuckorc is lo be found along the
banks of all the great rivers, and indeed in all low situations where the cover is
high, along the whole extent south of Monghyr . I cannot describe it b e t t e r than
b y saying that it is, in my opinion, the common grouse of Europe. It subsists
chielly on beetles, and a large Hat seed produced by a species of weed, whose
capsules resemble tliose of the carrol. The Napaul chuckorc will rarely thrive
unless ants are in abundance.
T h e black parlri<lge is most in request, both as alTording the best sporl, and
b e i n g best for tbe table. These arc lo be found generally in short close grass, part
i c u l a r l y on large plains supplied with ^vatel•, and near cultivation. Sometimes
t h e y abound in very heavy grass jungles, such as the surput. Thoy are rather
l a r g e r than the common red bird, and far heavier in ])roporlion to their diiTercnce
of bulk. The hen is nol unlike a cock grouse, but lia.s a redclish bainl of about an
inch or uiore in breadth round the neck, and the pbnnagc is somewhat darker,
b e i n g of a deep chocolate colour. The cock is a fine bird ! His eyes an- If-atherbound,
his beak is of a b r ight nut colour, and his neck and breast an: of a jet b hick,
the latter, in part icular having on every feather a milk whi t e spot about the size of
a tare. The rest of the body has strong giune ])lum:igc, rather darker than that
of the hen bird. In some]}laces I have observed anomalies from this dcscriplion ;
among which I have to notice ihatof a deficiency of the while spots on the brea^^l.
D u r i n g the winter months ipiails arc very numerous. They are birds
of passage, begin to shew themselves as .soon as the rains subsitle, and
remain in general till about the middle of March. They are partial lo short
t u f t e d grasses interspersed with low bushes; taking to the stubbles of rice
grounds for fond. This allords a curious change; it being extremely common to
find them in mud and puddles, silling on small clods, or ))atches of straw, while
on the other hand snipes may be ])ut up in abundance from the <lrv covers.
This, however, is confined lo the large brown tpiail ; for of the smaller kinds,
such as the blnebeaks and others, many may be found in bevies as well as
single througliout. the year among underwootls and heavy gras.ses. The bluebeaks,
which are not larger than wrens, teaze dogs very much by their running
and short flights. The red-breasts are rarely lo be seen alone, they are nearly
as large as the annual or brown quails. It is very curious that the flesh of their
breasts is mostly lialf while and half brown ; but they seldom are so fat as the
annual quail, Avhicli being fed in cages, become quite a lump of marrow. In the
month of March they can scarcely ily, being then in the highest state of perfection,
and too rich to be eaten in any quantity. A kind of quails with dappled
wings and speckled breasts is found lo llie northward ; as is also a species,
which, like the fire-eater before described, is marked on the breast with a
c r e s c e n t : both these sorts are small but of an excellent flavour.
Woodcocks are so extremely scarce that most of the I)cst and oldest sportsmen
doubt whether one is to be found in India, flowever, two or three have to my
knowledge been shot. Ijideed, 1 am greatly mistaken if I difl not one day see
several brace, as I was following the course of a small spring through an
extensive jungl e of underwood near Hazary Bang. They flitted before me for
a t least a mile, suddenly dro))ping as lliey got out of my reach, and taking great
care to dog in such a manner through the bushes as lo destroy every possibility
of taking an effectual aim. It was in the month of January, when we had as
s h a r p a frost as ever I can remember lo have experienced in India. There was
also a numbe r of snipe, of whicli I got a few brace.
Snipes come in with the cold weather, but will not lie except during tlie
mid-day. They abound iji all low swampy covers, and are very high flavoured.
T h e painted snipe, so called from its being, about the wings in particular,
r i c h l y ornamented with beautiful, though dark colours, is about as large ;is a