Big Game Shooting - free ebook by Clive Phillipps-Wolley

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Big Game Shooting

Clive Phillipps-Wolley

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BIG GAME SHOOTING

BIG GAME SHOOTING

BY CLIVE PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER, W. C. OSWELL, F. J. JACKSON, WARBURTON PIKE, AND F. C. SELOUS VOL. I. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES WHYMPER, J. WOLF AND H. WILLINK, AND FROM PHOTOGRAPHS LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1894 All rights reserved...

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DEDICATION TO H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES

DEDICATION TO H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES

Badminton : May 1885 . Having received permission to dedicate these volumes, the Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes , to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , I do so feeling that I am dedicating them to one of the best and keenest sportsmen of our time. I can say, from personal observation, that there is no man who can extricate himself from a bustling and pushing crowd of horsemen, when a fox breaks covert, more dexterously and quickly than His Royal Highness; and that when hounds run

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PREFACE

PREFACE

A few lines only are necessary to explain the object with which these volumes are put forth. There is no modern encyclopædia to which the inexperienced man, who seeks guidance in the practice of the various British Sports and Pastimes, can turn for information. Some books there are on Hunting, some on Racing, some on Lawn Tennis, some on Fishing, and so on; but one Library, or succession of volumes, which treats of the Sports and Pastimes indulged in by Englishmen—and women—is wanting. The Badmi

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BIG GAME SHOOTING

BIG GAME SHOOTING

1 Springbuck. 2 Steinbuck. 3 Blesbuck. 4 Reedbuck. By Clive Phillipps-Wolley It may be asked, as to these volumes, why ‘Big Game Shooting’ should find a place in a series devoted to British sports and pastimes, whereas, except the red deer, there is no big game in Great Britain? It is true that there is no big game left in Britain; but if the game is not British, its hunters are, and it is hardly too much to say that, out of every ten riflemen wandering about the world at present from Spitzberge

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Still Hunting

Still Hunting

Almost every fresh form of sport brings a fresh set of muscles, a hitherto little used sense or mental quality, into play, so that an all-round sportsman should be that very exceptional animal, a man in the full possession of all his faculties. On the mountains a man depends upon his feet and upon his eyes; in the woods he has to place at least as much reliance upon his ears as upon his eyes; whilst his feet in still hunting are to the beginner the very curse and bane of his existence. Except in

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WILLIAM COTTON OSWELL: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

WILLIAM COTTON OSWELL: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

By Sir Samuel W. Baker One man alone was left who could describe from personal experience the vast tracts of Southern Africa and the countless multitudes of wild animals which existed fifty years ago in undisturbed seclusion; the ground untrodden by the European foot; the native unsuspicious of the guile of a white intruder. This man, thus solitary in this generation, was the late William Cotton Oswell. He had scarcely finished the pages upon the fauna of South Africa when death seized him (May

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

By W. Cotton Oswell I have often been asked to write the stories of the illustrations given in the chapters on South Africa, but have hitherto declined, on the plea that the British public had had quite enough of Africa, and that all I could tell would be very old. As I now stand midway between seventy and eighty I trusted I might, in the ordinary course of nature, escape such an undertaking; but in the end of ’91 the best shot, sportsman and writer that ever made Africa his field—I refer to my

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FIRST EXPEDITION TO AFRICA

FIRST EXPEDITION TO AFRICA

Reduced from 12 st. 2 lb. to 7 st. 12 lb. by many attacks of Indian fever caught during a shooting excursion in the valley of the Bhavany River, I was sent to the Cape as a last chance by the Madras doctors; indeed, whilst lying in a semi-comatose state, I heard one of them declare that I ought to have been dead a year ago; so all thanks to South Africa, say I! I gained strength by the voyage, and, shortly after reaching Cape Town, hearing that a Mr. Murray, of Lintrose, near Cupar Angus, had co

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CHAPTER III SECOND EXPEDITION TO SOUTH AFRICA

CHAPTER III SECOND EXPEDITION TO SOUTH AFRICA

By W. Cotton Oswell Murray returned to England. I threw off my ivory at the nearest frontier town, and laying in such fresh supplies as were needed, and buying half a dozen horses to fill up the gaps, was by the middle of April on my way to the Mariqué River, a small tributary of the Limpopo, intending to shoot down it to its junction, and then follow the main stream as far as I might be able. The game was very numerous, and John was already well on with his frieze of elephant tails round the in

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CHAPTER IV LATER VISITS TO SOUTH AFRICA

CHAPTER IV LATER VISITS TO SOUTH AFRICA

By W. Cotton Oswell Vardon went home to England, I think, and I returned to India to finish my time before taking furlough in 1847. Early in 1849 hearing that Livingstone intended making an attempt to reach Lake ’Ngami, Murray and I again left England to join him. The Doctor had quitted his old missionary station, and was now with Sechélé at Kolobeng. As we neared this place, whilst we were lying at a small spring called Le Mawé, or the needles, from some pointed rocks which overhang it, the Kaf

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CHAPTER V WITH LIVINGSTONE IN SOUTH AFRICA

CHAPTER V WITH LIVINGSTONE IN SOUTH AFRICA

By W. Cotton Oswell [The Editors are fully aware that the following cannot be considered as coming strictly under the head of Big Game Shooting. It is, however, the special wish of the late Mr. Oswell’s family that the whole MS. should appear as he left it, and the Editors willingly comply with the request.— Ed. ] A few lines about my companion in my Zambesi journey. The description of the route taken may be found in his book, and of the man himself two Lives have been written. But I knew him we

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DRESS

DRESS

In the matter of dress, which is a very important consideration in big game shooting, when everything has to be done on foot, regard should be had to the features of the surrounding country, and the stalker should endeavour to be as little conspicuous as possible. With this end in view, he cannot do better than have his clothes made of Kharki, and Indian Shikar cloth of mixed green and brown. In the dry weather, when the grass and bush are withered, Kharki is less conspicuous than Shikar cloth,

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CAMP GEAR

CAMP GEAR

In regard to camp gear, a thing of vital importance, a few hints may prove useful. Comfort in camp should be one of the first considerations. Some men incur risks unnecessarily, through ignorance of the dangers they are running, having probably read that men in South Africa sleep out in the open with impunity, or with nothing but a ‘lean-to’ of sticks and grass as a protection against dew, wind, or rain, and a bundle of grass and a blanket to lie upon; but men cannot do this in East Africa, and

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STORES, ETC.

STORES, ETC.

Although European stores, wines, and spirits of every kind are obtainable at Mombasa, I should recommend everybody intending to go out on a sporting trip to take a certain amount of stores with them, particularly those which would come under the head of medical comforts, such as Brand’s soups and extracts, arrowroot, champagne, brandy, and port wine. Other stores for ordinary use which can be purchased at Mombasa are not always fresh, and as there is very little difference between the price of t

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CHAPTER VII GAME DISTRICTS AND ROUTES

CHAPTER VII GAME DISTRICTS AND ROUTES

By F. J. Jackson At particular seasons of the year there is a considerable migration of game beasts, and though all the lines of their migration are not ascertained, it is quite certain that great numbers work their way towards the coast between April and July; instinct in all probability impelling them in that direction, where the grass and all other vegetation are abundant. It would consequently be advisable for the sportsman to choose the time for his contemplated trip to a certain district w

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CHAPTER VIII THE CARAVAN, HEADMAN, GUN-BEARERS, ETC.

CHAPTER VIII THE CARAVAN, HEADMAN, GUN-BEARERS, ETC.

By F. J. Jackson The sportsman having decided on the districts which he intends to visit, and on the time to be spent approximately in each, and having obtained all the latest information as to the quantity and quality of goods required for barter purposes, presents, &amp;c., the caravan (‘safari’) must be got together and organised. The first thing to be done is to engage a really good headman (‘neapara’). Should the sportsman be fortunate enough to have such a one recommended to him who bo

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CHAPTER IX HINTS ON EAST AFRICAN STALKING, DRIVING, ETC.

CHAPTER IX HINTS ON EAST AFRICAN STALKING, DRIVING, ETC.

By F. J. Jackson In East Africa, up to the present, all shooting has been done entirely on foot, as horses have not yet been introduced into the country, with the exception of two or three which have been sent up to Uganda. It is to be hoped that when horses are more generally employed (and there is no reason at present known why they should not be, provided the belts of ‘fly’ country are avoided), they will not be used in the pursuit of the herds of game, as they have been and still are in Sout

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CHAPTER X THE ELEPHANT

CHAPTER X THE ELEPHANT

By F. J. Jackson The African elephant ( E. Africanus ), known to the natives of Zanzibar as Tembo, to the natives of Mombasa and to the north as Ndovu, has, I venture to think, on account of its truly colossal size, majestic bearing, and sagacity, a much better claim to the position of king of beasts than the lion. It has disappeared from many parts of Africa since the introduction of firearms and the advance of civilisation, but in British East Africa, in certain localities, it is still to be f

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CHAPTER XI THE AFRICAN BUFFALO

CHAPTER XI THE AFRICAN BUFFALO

By F. J. Jackson The African buffalo ( B. caffa ), known to the natives as ‘Mboga’ or ‘Nyati,’ is, I consider, on account of its enormous strength and vitality, combined with great pluck and natural cunning, the most dangerous beast in East Africa, and I believe this opinion is shared by the majority of men who have hunted it to any extent. As it rarely happens that a beast of any kind charges without provocation, excepting the rhinoceros, to which I shall come later on, I use the word ‘dangerou

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CHAPTER XII THE LION

CHAPTER XII THE LION

By F. J. Jackson The lion ( F. leo ), known to the natives as ‘Simba,’ when described as ‘King of the African forests,’ is, I venture to say, altogether misnamed, as he has neither the awe-inspiring and majestic bearing of the elephant, nor the viciousness and indomitable pluck of the buffalo. His roar when heard pretty close to camp on a still night is certainly very grand, more particularly when two or more lions are together, and this must be heard to be thoroughly appreciated. I have twice h

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CHAPTER XIII THE RHINOCEROS

CHAPTER XIII THE RHINOCEROS

By F. J. Jackson Mr. F. C. Selous has proved beyond a doubt that there is only one species of the so-called black rhinoceros ( R. bicornis ) in South Africa, and his arguments apply equally to the East African beast. There can be no doubt that the range of this beast extends from the Soudan to South Africa, and that there is only one distinct species of prehensile-lipped rhinoceros known throughout Africa. If the classification of the black rhinoceros depended on the comparative size of the horn

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CHAPTER XIV THE HIPPOPOTAMUS

CHAPTER XIV THE HIPPOPOTAMUS

By F. J. Jackson The hippopotamus ( H. amphibius ), known to the Swahili people as ‘Kiboko,’ is found nearly everywhere in East Africa where there is a sufficiency of water. In 1885 hippos were very plentiful in the river Tana, at the mouth, and for a few miles further up, but I am told that they have since then been either killed off by the Wapokomo, or been driven away, and have taken up their quarters either in the Ozi river or the salt-water creeks. They are still, however, very plentiful in

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CHAPTER XV OSTRICHES AND GIRAFFES

CHAPTER XV OSTRICHES AND GIRAFFES

By F. J. Jackson The two species of game most difficult to approach are the giraffe and the ostrich. Their watchfulness and powers of scent equal those of other game, and if anything their sight is even more extraordinary. Besides these wonderfully developed senses, they possess a tremendous advantage over other game in their great height, being able to easily see over covert amply sufficient to conceal the approach of the stalker from the view of other animals. Giraffes ( Giraffa camelopardalis

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ELAND

ELAND

The striped variety of the eland is the only one found in East Africa. It is known to the Swahilis as ‘Mpofu,’ and is decidedly a local beast. It is seen more often in open bush and country thinly wooded with mimosa-trees than quite out in the open. In 1887 it was plentiful round Taveta, where I have seen as many as sixty to seventy in one herd. In the open bush country west of Mount Kisigao elands are fairly numerous. Other places in which they are found are the park-like country below Ndi in T

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BRINDLED WILDEBEEST

BRINDLED WILDEBEEST

The Brindled or Blue Wildebeest (Swahili name, ‘Nyumbo’) is essentially an antelope of the plains, though it is occasionally seen in thin open bush. It is more plentiful in the Useri district to the north-east of Kilimanjaro, and the Athi plains to the north and west of Machako’s, than anywhere else. In the latter place on August 5, 1890, Dr. Mackinnon and I saw an enormous herd of 1,500, but this is quite unusual, as they are rarely found in herds of more than from twenty to sixty. A single bul

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COKE’S HARTEBEEST

COKE’S HARTEBEEST

Coke’s Hartebeest (Swahili, ‘Kongoni’)is by far the commonest antelope in East Africa, and is found almost everywhere in fairly open country, excepting in the Galla country and north of Lake Baringo. It may be met with from April to August as near the coast as Maji Chumvi, three marches from Mombasa, and ranges throughout the year as far north as Doreta, a little to the south of Njemps, where Jackson’s hartebeest takes its place. Mr. Gedge obtained a hybrid between the two species somewhere near

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LICHTENSTEIN’S HARTEBEEST

LICHTENSTEIN’S HARTEBEEST

Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, also known to the Swahilis as ‘Kongoni,’ though they do not confound the two species, I include as a British East African antelope on the authority of General Lloyd Mathews, who told me that he had shot some of these beasts (one skull of which he showed me) on his wa y down from Kilimanjaro to Pangani, but whether actually in British territory I am unable to say. It is a common beast south of the Pangani river, and in the beautiful undulating park-like country on the b

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JACKSON’S HARTEBEEST

JACKSON’S HARTEBEEST

Bubalis Jacksoni Jackson’s Hartebeest, also called ‘Kongoni’ by the Zanzibar porters, is first met with near Lake Baringo, and on Mau escarpment west of Lake Naivasha, which is, perhaps, its most southern limit. It is quite the commonest antelope in Turkwel, and also in the undulating country west of Elgeyo, where it is found in the plains, open bush, and thin mimosa-wooded country....

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THE TOPI

THE TOPI

The ‘Topi’ is, I believe, not found south of the Sabaki river. It is, however, the commonest antelope in the Galla country, and it ranges from the coast right away N.E. to Uganda, passing round to the north of Mount Kenia, but I do not think it is known either in Lykepia or south of Lake Baringo. The topi found in Uganda has been lately described as a distinct species ( Damalis jimela ) by Dr. Matschi, but whether it is really so or is only a local and somewhat larger variety of D. senegalensis

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DAMALIS HUNTERI

DAMALIS HUNTERI

D. Hunteri , first obtained by my friend Mr. H. C. V. Hunter in 1888, is only found north of the Tana river, but how far north it ranges into the Somali country is at present unknown. In habits it resembles the topi....

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ROAN ANTELOPE

ROAN ANTELOPE

The Roan Antelope I have added to the list with a query after its name. I do not believe that it exists anywhere in British East Africa south of Turkwel. [12] On the northern slopes of Mount Elgon I saw two beasts which, as they stood facing me some 400 yards off, I took to be waterbucks, but on being alarmed at my firing at a hartebeest which crossed the footpath just in front of me, I at once perceived, as they cantered off, that they were animals which I had never seen before. As they appeare

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SABLE ANTELOPE

SABLE ANTELOPE

The Sable Antelope, known to the Swahilis as ‘Pala-hala,’ is very rare, and up to the present has not been bagged in British East Africa by a European. Sir John Willoughby, in his book ‘East Africa and its Big Game,’ mentions that he saw a small herd of five near Maji Chumvi. Mr. Gedge and I also saw a herd of about ten or twelve near Gulu Gulu in November 1888. Both of these places were open bush and thinly-wooded country. The sable antelope is fairly plentiful in the undulating park-like count

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EAST AFRICAN ORYX

EAST AFRICAN ORYX

The East African Oryx is known to the Swahilis as ‘Cheroa.’ This oryx was for a long time confounded with the Oryx beisa of the Somali country, which, however, does not range south of the Tana river. The cheroa is easily distinguished from the other by the presence of a tuft of long black hair on the ears. It is found in the Kilimanjaro district in greater numbers (particularly near Useri) than elsewhere. It is also plentiful in the Galla country, between the Sabaki and Tana rivers, and I have m

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KOBUS KOB

KOBUS KOB

Kobus Kob The Kobus Kob is first met with in British East Africa near Mumia’s, in Upper Kavirondo. Here I saw a small herd on three consecutive days on the banks of the Nzoia quite near to the same place. As I was after hippos at the time, and never got near the antelopes, I mistook them for impalas, and paid no further attention to them, until one day Mr. Gedge brought in the head of one he had shot, and I at once recognised my mistake. On going out specially to get one or two I found them fair

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LESSER REEDBUCK

LESSER REEDBUCK

The Lesser Reedbuck (Swahili, ‘Toi’ or ‘Tohi’) is very local, and as a rule only frequents the vicinity of rivers and swamps which are never dry. These bucks are found on the shores of Lake Jipi and the Ziwa to the east of Kilimanjaro, and in a few other places. I also saw several small herds of them, out of which I shot two bucks, on the top of the hills to the north-west of Machako’s station. These had evidently been driven up into the hills by the grass fires in the plains, which had destroye

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GRANT’S GAZELLE

GRANT’S GAZELLE

Adult and immature Gazella Grantii The Grantii (Swahili name, ‘Sala,’ or ‘Swara’) is met with almost everywhere in the plains and open bush country. It and the impala are perhaps the most beautiful of all the smaller antelopes, and both are among the most coveted trophies of the sportsman. In the Rombo and Useri plains the horns of this antelope grow to a much greater length than anywhere else that I know of. Thirty inches along the curve is the length of the record head, but horns of 26 ins. in

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THOMSON’S GAZELLE

THOMSON’S GAZELLE

The ‘ Thomsoni ’ in habits is very like the G. Grantii , but as a rule is found in rather larger herds. Single bucks of this species are, however, more often seen than single Grantii bucks. At Lake Naivasha, in July 1890, I saw a large herd of some sixty head, composed entirely of does, and in the same place, in September of the previous year, I saw a herd of some thirty or forty beasts, every one of which was a buck; but I do not think that this can be taken as evidence that the bucks and does

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PETERS’ GAZELLE

PETERS’ GAZELLE

Gazella Petersi (known to the Swahilis also as ‘Sala’) may be a local variety of G. Grantii rather than a distinct species. It used to be plentiful at Merereni on the coast, and is still found further inland in the Galla country. It is certainly a smaller beast than G. Grantii from Kilimanjaro or Machako’s, but in other respects is almost identical, excepting in the shape and size of the horns, which I have never known to exceed 22 ins. in length measured along the curve. Their horns are also st

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ABYSSINIAN ORIBI

ABYSSINIAN ORIBI

The Abyssinian Oribi (Swahili, ‘Taya’) is, I believe, not found to the south of Upper Kavirondo. Between the river Nzoia and the base of Mount Elgon it is fairly plentiful, as also in Turkwel. In habits it differs from its East African congener in one respect only, not appearing to be so partial to long grass, but being confined more to rough stony ground and short scrubby bush. This gives the sportsman a chance of seeing it at a distance, and an opportunity of stalking it which the oribi of the

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EAST AFRICAN ORIBI

EAST AFRICAN ORIBI

The East African Oribi (also known to the Swahilis as ‘Taya’) I have found more plentiful on the mainland near Lamu than anywhere else. Sir Robert Harvey and Mr. Hunter, in October and November 1888, also found it in fair numbers up the Tana river. I have never seen it myself south of the Sabaki, though doubtless it is to be met in suitable places. At Merereni where the country seems admirably suited to its habits, although I was shooting there for some time in 1885 and 1886, I never saw one, th

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STEINBUCK

STEINBUCK

The Steinbuck (Swahili name, ‘Ishah’) is better known to some sportsmen as the ‘grass antelope.’ It is more plentiful at Kilimanjaro than elsewhere, though I have seen a good many all along the caravan route, wherever it passes through open grass country, between Mombasa and Nzoi in Ukambani. This little antelope is the smallest found in the open plain. It is a stupid little beast, and requires very little stalking to outwit it. It will often stand gazing at anyone who approaches, and allow him

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WATERBUCK

WATERBUCK

The Waterbuck (Swahili name, ‘Kuru’) is common everywhere south of Lake Baringo, near fresh water, and is also found in the vicinity of a good many of the salt-water creeks on the coast. It is particularly plentiful on the banks of the Tana river, and in the Kilimanjaro district on the banks of the Weri Weri. Like most bush-loving antelopes, it is fairly easy to stalk, but is a very tough beast and takes a good deal of killing if not hit in the right place. Its flesh, though much relished by the

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THE SING-SING

THE SING-SING

The Sing-Sing (also known to the natives as ‘Kuru’) resembles the waterbuck in habits, but is easily distinguished from it by its darker colour, and by a considerable amount of rufous hair on the top of the head, as well as by an entirely white rump in place of the elliptical white band of the other. The horns are also as a rule longer and more massive than those of the waterbuck, the horns of the latter never growing to the size they do in South Africa. It is not met with until near Lake Baring

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THE GREATER KUDU

THE GREATER KUDU

The Greater Kudu is a rare beast in East Africa, and is only found in certain places. There are always a few in the Teita country west of Ndara and Kisigao and on the banks of the Tsavo river, down which it ranges from the head-waters to the Sabaki, and then north up the Athi river. All these places are more or less undulating, very rough, dry, and stony, and covered with thick bush....

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LESSER KUDU

LESSER KUDU

The Lesser Kudu (Swahili, ‘Kungu’) is very plentiful on the banks of the Tana river. In 1885-86 it was also numerous at Merereni, on the coast. A few are found in suitable places near Taveta, and as far west as the Sogonoi hills in German territory. They appear, however, to be confined principally to the belt of dry bush country extending from the coast for about 100 miles inland, and I think that very few of them range west of the Masai country. I was told by Messrs. Hobley and Bird-Thompson, o

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BUSH-BUCK

BUSH-BUCK

The Bush-buck (Swahili, ‘Mbawara’) is common everywhere on the coast, and I have seen it as far west as the edge of Mau forest. In habits it much resembles the lesser kudu, but, as a rule, is found in much thicker bush, and where all vegetation is more luxuriant. Although I have seen great numbers of bush-bucks, I have never noticed more than two together, except on one occasion when I saw a male and two females; but animals of either sex are more usually found by themselves. They are rarely see

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IMPALA

IMPALA

The Impala (Swahili name, ‘Nswala’) is not, I believe, known on the coast, though some sixty miles inland it is met with in small herds. At Adda and in the Teita country it is plentiful, and is found as far north as Turkwel, in suitable localities. It is never seen very far from water, and is partial to park-like, open bush and thinly-wooded country. The best heads I have ever seen have been obtained between Lakes Naivasha and Baringo, particularly in the vicinity of the small salt lake Elmateit

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LITHOCRANIUS WALLERI

LITHOCRANIUS WALLERI

The Walleri The Walleri is plentiful on the banks of the Tana river, and there are a fair number at Merereni. It is also found in the Kilimanjaro district. The East African walleri is very much smaller than the one found in the Somali country. There is no mistaking this antelope for any other, on account of its extraordinarily long and thin neck, which in a fully adult buck, killed by myself at Merereni, was only 10 ins. in circumference; two females measured 7 ins. each round the neck. When wal

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THE DUYKER

THE DUYKER

The Duyker (Swahili name, ‘Ngruvu’) is found throughout British East Africa, and I have shot it as far west as Tunga’s in Upper Kavirondo. At Taveta it frequents the low stony hills covered with long grass and short scrub. On the coast it is found in open bush country, and also in low scrub and grass some eighteen inches high. Unless this covert has been lately burnt, the duyker rarely gives the sportsman the chance of stalking it. All the duyker I have myself got have been killed with a shot-gu

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BLUE BUCK

BLUE BUCK

The Blue Buck is a little beast which I have only found in one place—in the dense undergrowth of bush in the Witu forest near Lamu. I believe it is also met with in the small forest belts in Uganda. [13] In habits it much resembles the paa ( Neotragus Kirkii and Nanotragus moschatus ), and is known to the natives of Lamu and Witu by that name....

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THE KLIPSPRINGER

THE KLIPSPRINGER

The Klipspringer is only found in rocky broken ground on the slopes of some of the hills and large ‘earth boils’ from Teita to Turkwel. It would probably have to be specially sought for, as there is little or no other game to attract the sportsman to its rocky strongholds....

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THE PAA

THE PAA

The Paa ( N. Kirkii ) is found throughout East Africa in thick and open bush on dry sandy soil. It is exceedingly plentiful on Manda island opposite Lamu, Merereni, the thick bush east of Taveta, and again in Ngaboto in the Suk country. It is the smallest of the East African antelopes, and is usually bagged with a shot-gun and No. 5 shot, as it darts about among the bush and scrub like a rabbit. The flesh of this little beast has a strong flavour of musk and is very disagreeable to eat at all ti

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GRAVE ISLAND GAZELLE

GRAVE ISLAND GAZELLE

The N. moschatus , commonly known as ‘Grave Island gazelle,’ derives this name from being for a long time only obtained on a small island in Zanzibar harbour on which the English cemetery is situated. How this little antelope got on to this and another small island no one knows, as it i s not at present known to exist on the islands of Zanzibar or Pemba. It is, however, found in the thick bush behind Frere Town, the Church Mission station at Mombasa, and also in the Duruma country. It is, like t

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THE SITATUNGA

THE SITATUNGA

I might add another species to the already long list of British East African antelopes—the Sitatunga ( Tragelaphus Spekei ). My friend Mr. Gedge, in a letter to the ‘Times’ from Uganda, mentions that he shot several antelopes of a species which he concludes to be the sitatunga on an island in Victoria Nyanza, but until he returns to England with a specimen his inference cannot be verified. [14] B. senegalensis In conclusion, a few remarks on the climate of British East Africa and the expenses of

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CHAPTER XVII THE LION IN SOUTH AFRICA

CHAPTER XVII THE LION IN SOUTH AFRICA

By F. C. Selous In those districts of Southern Africa made historic by the stirring narratives of Sir Cornwallis Harris and Gordon Cumming, where but half a century ago every species of wild game native to that part of the world, from the ponderous elephant to the graceful springbuck, was to be met with in such surprising numbers that vast tracts of country assumed the appearance of huge zoological gardens, one may now travel for days without seeing a single wild animal. In British Bechuanaland

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I. PANTHER (Felis concolor)

I. PANTHER (Felis concolor)

Puma ( Felis concolor ) The American Panther ( Felis concolor ) is a beast of many aliases but of few virtues. He is the ‘painter,’ ‘catamount,’ ‘mountain lion,’ ‘cougar,’ ‘Californian lion,’ or ‘puma’ of early American legends; but, in spite of his many high-sounding titles, he is a mean, sneaking beast, hiding in dense timber by day, stealing or destroying more sheep in one night than he can eat in six months, affording no sport to anyone, and very little profit even to the fur dealer. Those w

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II. THE GRIZZLY (Ursus horribilis)

II. THE GRIZZLY (Ursus horribilis)

Mr. Sclater, the Secretary of the Zoological Society of Lond on, writes me that the best naturalists only recognise three species of bears in North America, namely: the Grizzly ( Ursus horribilis ), the Black Bear ( Ursus americanus ), and the Polar Bear ( Ursus maritimus ). My correspondent adds that ‘a lot of varieties and sub-species have been made, but not upon any certain characters.’ Among these varieties and sub-species may, I suppose, be reckoned Ursus Richardsonii , the Alaskan grizzly,

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III. BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus)

III. BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus)

I have said so much incidentally about the black bear while writing of his congener the grizzly, that I have very little left to say of him in the proper place. A recent American authority describes this bear’s habitat as being confined nowadays ‘to some portions of the various ranges of mountains south of the St. Lawrence river, the Great Lakes, and (east of the Mississippi river) to parts of those portions of the Mississippi river and its tributaries which are yet unsettled,’ and to ‘the dense

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IV. BISON OR BUFFALO (Bison americanus)

IV. BISON OR BUFFALO (Bison americanus)

In writing of big game in North America, it is impossible to write for more than the immediate present. That which was ten years ago has already ceased to be, and it is probable that the conditions, both of game and country, will change almost as much in the coming decade as they have done in that which has just passed. Ten years ago, as I travelled along the Northern Pacific Railway line, the skin-hunters were at work in the neighbourhood of Glendive and Little Missouri, and I had an opportunit

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V. THE BIGHORN (Ovis montana)

V. THE BIGHORN (Ovis montana)

A group of bighorn To a man who loves the hill-tops, where the winds blow keen and pure over the red gold of sun-dried grass and the deep blue of snow-fed tarns, there is no game in America to compare with the bighorn of the Rocky Mountains. Other beasts may hide away in the dense timber of Oregon, Washington Territory, and Vancouver Island; other beasts may sneak out only at dusk and dawn, but the gallant bighorn still lives out in the open, trusting for safety to the grey-faced ewes who watch

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VI. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT (Haploceros montanus)

VI. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT (Haploceros montanus)

Rocky Mountain goats The Rocky Mountain Goat may, like other animals, vary in its habits a good deal in different localities. In British Columbia, which appears to be peculiarly its home, I am bound to say that it appears to be the biggest fool that walks on four legs. I am aware that some authori ties upon sport, whose opinions deserve consideration, differ from me upon this point, but living as I do at present amongst British Columbians, I am not afraid of being contradicted by local sportsmen

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VII. THE PRONGHORN ANTELOPE (Antilocapra americana)

VII. THE PRONGHORN ANTELOPE (Antilocapra americana)

Antilocapra americana The scheme of these volumes does not allow for a full and detailed account of the shooting of every variety of game found in each country. It may therefore suffice to say of this antelope that it may be killed as any other antelope is killed, either by stalking, the shots being taken as a rule at long range s, or by coursing. There are very few parts of America, if any, in which the antelope has been so little hunted as to allow the old ruse of flagging (i.e. of attracting

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VIII. THE DEER OF AMERICA

VIII. THE DEER OF AMERICA

Judge Caton, an authority upon the deer of his own country, describes eight well-defined species as inhabiting the North American continent. These are the wapiti ( C. canadensis ), the moose ( C. alces ), the woodland caribou ( C. tarandus ), the Barren Ground caribou ( C. tarandus arcticus ), the mule deer ( C. macrotis ), the Columbian black-tailed deer ( C. columbianus ), the Virginian or white-tailed deer ( C. virginianus ), and a little-known beast called by Caton C. acapulcensis . With the

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NOTE ON CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN BIG GAME

NOTE ON CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN BIG GAME

There is no lack of game either upon the Pampas or in the forests and along the river-beds of Central and South America, but as yet very few English sportsmen appear to have visited either the seas of grass or the luxuriant tropical forests of Patagonia, Paraguay and the Amazon. Admiral Kennedy, indeed, in his recent book, ‘Sporting Sketches in South America,’ is, I fancy, the first sportsman pure and simple who has visited these regions and described the sport to be found therein, and it is to

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CHAPTER XIX MUSK OX

CHAPTER XIX MUSK OX

By Warburton Pike In a work dealing with the sport of the present day there is no necessity to inquire into the past history of the Musk Ox ( Ovibos moschatus ), or to speak of its extensive distribution during the early ages of the world. It is enough to pay a visit to the South Kensington Museum and wonder at the specimens of musk-ox heads dug out of the brick earth at Maidenhead and Ilford, differing but slightly from the bleached heads that may be picked up any day in the Barren Ground, and

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BIG GAME SHOOTING

BIG GAME SHOOTING

BY CLIVE PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY LIEUT.-COLONEL R. HEBER PERCY, ARNOLD PIKE, MAJOR ALGERNON C. HEBER PERCY, W. A. BAILLIE-GROHMAN, SIR HENRY POTTINGER, BART., EARL OF KILMOREY, ABEL CHAPMAN, WALTER J. BUCK, AND ST. GEORGE LITTLEDALE VOL. II. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES WHYMPER AND FROM PHOTOGRAPHS LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1894 [Pg v] [Pg vi]...

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BIG GAME SHOOTING

BIG GAME SHOOTING

Among the ice By Arnold Pike Arctic hunting embraces an enormous field, the extent of which is not yet realised, and I should begin by remarking that my experience, as here set forth, is limited to the seas around Spitzbergen, and that I propose to confine myself to the pursuit of the walrus and the polar bear. Although the vast herds of walrus which formerly inhabited the Spitzbergen and Novaya Zemlya seas have been sadly thinned by persistent—and often wasteful—hunting, first by the English an

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I. WALRUS (Rosmarus trichechus)

I. WALRUS (Rosmarus trichechus)

The walrus is one of the largest animals still extant, and although the element of personal danger is not as great in hunting it as in hunting some beasts of lesser bulk, yet the conditions under which the sport is pursued, as well as the nature of the sport itself, are such as will probably tempt one who has once tried this form of sport to return to it. An average-sized four-year-old bull walrus will measure 10 ft. in length and about the same in girth. The weight is, of course, difficult to d

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II. THE POLAR BEAR (Ursus maritimus)

II. THE POLAR BEAR (Ursus maritimus)

As a ‘sporting’ animal the polar bear is, to the writer’s mind, somewhat overrated; the walrus affording more exciting, and in every sense better, sport than does the bear. DEATH OF A POLAR BEAR Although the history of Arctic exploration and adventure contains accounts of many a death laid to its charge, yet the ‘polar’ makes but a poor fight against the accurately sighted breechloaders of to-day, and it is very rarely that one hears of the loss of a man in an actual encounter with a bear. And t

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I. INTRODUCTORY

I. INTRODUCTORY

Although the Caucasus is within a week’s journey of Charing Cross, to the average Englishman it is as little known as Alaska. As a hunting ground for big game it is infinitely less known than Central Africa. The men who have shot in Africa and written of their sport in that country may be counted by the score; but, as far as I know, up to the present moment no book has been written (except my own) [2] upon the sport of the Caucasus, and in this chapter I am obliged to rely upon my own experience

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II. NORTH-WEST CAUCASUS.

II. NORTH-WEST CAUCASUS.

The Caucasus includes not only the great range which gives its name to the isthmus, but also a district as large as France, bounded on the north by Russia, on the east by the Caspian, on the south by Armenia and Persia, and on the west by the Black Sea and the Azov. In any similar area you would expect to find districts varying considerably in their fauna, but in the Caucasus the districts to the north and south of the chain vary to such an extent, that the naturalist Eichwald speaks of the ‘tal

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III. SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE CAUCASUS

III. SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE CAUCASUS

The black hills and the pine forests on the northern side of the chain are the favourite haunts of the red deer and the aurochs, as the reedy bed of the Kuban is the favourite home of the boar and the pheasant; but though bears are found on the northern slopes in fair numbers, occurring sometimes even above the snow-line, the true home of Michael Michaelovitch (as the peasants call him) is on the sunny slopes of the southern side of the chain, as for instance in the great wild fruit districts of

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IV. PLAINS OF THE CAUCASUS

IV. PLAINS OF THE CAUCASUS

I have said that the Caucasus is divided by nature into several distinct districts: the plains of the North, the deep forests of the Black Sea coast, the great wild region at the top of the ‘divide,’ and the arid eastern steppes, deserts such as Kariâs and the Mooghan. Each district has its typical game. On the barren lands outside Tiflis, where nothing will flourish without irrigation, except perhaps brigandage, and on the great wastes through which the Kûr and the Araxes run, there is a short

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CHAPTER III MOUNTAIN GAME OF THE CAUCASUS

CHAPTER III MOUNTAIN GAME OF THE CAUCASUS

By Clive Phillipps-Wolley Wild and beautiful as they are in their way, it is not in the deep mountain gorges at the head of the Kuban, nor in its vast reed beds, neither is it in the rich forests of Circassia, or the dreary steppes of the Mooghan, that the true spirit of the Caucasus dwells, and the finest sport of the country makes slaves of natives and aliens alike. Round the Mamisson Pass, in the wild and beetling precipices of Svânetia, wherever nature is most cruel and most forbidding, live

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CHAPTER IV CAUCASIAN AUROCHS

CHAPTER IV CAUCASIAN AUROCHS

By St. G. Littledale Bos bonasus is the scientific name for the aurochs, the great ox that roamed in bygone ages over the whole of Europe: its remains are found in Spain and Great Britain on the west. How far east it ranged I cannot say, but when on the Upper Irtish in Siberia, close to the Mongolian frontier, I obtained a skull which had been dug up from the river bank. Like the American bison, it has been driven from the low ground forests and open plains, and has tried to find refuge in a sec

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CHAPTER V OVIS ARGALI OF MONGOLIA

CHAPTER V OVIS ARGALI OF MONGOLIA

By St. George Littledale The Ovis argali is, thanks to his richly-coloured coat of reddish grey, an exceedingly handsome beast, but his horns, though more massive, lack the sweeping character which is the glory of the Ovis poli . So like, however, are these great sheep of the Altai and the Pamir, that Dr. Günther, to whom I am deeply indebted for much valuable assistance, says that to distinguish between them ‘is a very hard nut to crack, and perhaps the only solution will be to find a distincti

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CHAMOIS PRESERVES AND PEASANT-SHOOTS

CHAMOIS PRESERVES AND PEASANT-SHOOTS

One of the regions most attractive to the sportsman is North Tyrol, and more particularly that wide strip of mountain-land skirting the Bavarian boundary on the one side and the Inn Valley on the other. Here some of the best preserves in the world are situated, five royal shoots almost abutting on each other. These mountains, in character very similar to the better known Dolomites, which range is now, alas! thanks to tourists and peasant-shoots, pretty well cleared of chamois, are the beau idéal

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CHAMOIS STALKING

CHAMOIS STALKING

At a discussion which once arose at the table of the Prince Consort’s brother, H.R.H. the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg—a veteran Nimrod, who for the last fifty years has unquestionably shown himself, next to the Emperor of Austria, the keenest royal sportsman in Europe—the question arose whether chamois would share the fate of their kindred the ibex and become extinct. Somebody made the paradoxical reply: ‘Not so long as they are only killed by potentates and by peasants.’ While this cannot of c

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RIFLES AND KIT

RIFLES AND KIT

Tyrolese, Swiss and German sportsmen, as a rule, use only single-barrelled rifles, and much smaller charges than are used out of English Expresses; indeed, in some royal shoots the use of double-barrelled rifles is against local etiquette. Thus the Emperor of Austria, one of the keenest sportsmen born, never uses other than single-barrelled arms, and his guests are expected to do the same. The reason is a good one—namely, to discourage wild shooting at long ranges, causing numbers of chamois to

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CHAMOIS DRIVING

CHAMOIS DRIVING

What has been said will show that, to become a successful stalker, practice and early training in mountain work are, if not absolutely essential, at least very desirable, and even the possessor of these advantages has cause to pray for perpetual youth. As years roll by, even the keenest stalker gradually becomes more and more reconciled to the assistance afforded by beaters and other extraneous aids to outwit this wary game, and more and more satisfied with the buck carefully picked from the ban

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HISTORY OF THE CHAMOIS AND ITS CHASE

HISTORY OF THE CHAMOIS AND ITS CHASE

Marvellous stories of the chamois’s wily artfulness in evading the hunter have from time immemorial been told. For instance, that when cornered by its pursuers it would hang itself by the crook of its horns from ledges overhanging deep precipices to evade the hunter’s ken. As late as forty years ago, absurd nonsense was still being written about the chamois. Thus an English author gravely quotes: ‘The chamois hunter rarely shoots his game, but drives it from crag to crag till further pursuit bec

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STALKING THE ALPINE STAG

STALKING THE ALPINE STAG

The home of the Hungarian and of the Alpine stag differs very materially from that of the Scotch deer. The more or less treeless ‘forest’ of Scotland is replaced in the first named locality by superb woods of deciduous as well as of coniferous trees; in the latter by dense pine, fir, and larch woods. These are forests which do not belie their name, and their owners are never forced to kill off stags in order to save a few precious trees, an unpleasant alternative by no means unknown to Scotch la

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CHAPTER VIII THE SCANDINAVIAN ELK

CHAPTER VIII THE SCANDINAVIAN ELK

By Sir Henry Pottinger, Bart. The chase of the elk, one of the few grand wild sports still to be found in Europe, was thought worthy of mention by very old and distinguished writers, but their remarks on the subject are perhaps not likely to be of much practical value to the modern sportsman. The great Cæsar is our authority for the fact that the elk, having no joints to its legs and being therefore unable to lie down, is compelled to take its rest by leaning against a tree. The cunning hunter,

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BROWN BEAR HUNTING IN RUSSIAN LAPLAND

BROWN BEAR HUNTING IN RUSSIAN LAPLAND

Ursus arctos, the bear of Northern Europe, exists rather plentifully in the forests to the extreme north of Russian Lapland. This bear is omnivorous: he feeds on roots, leaves, wild berries such as molte berries (which grow in large quantities in the Northern swamps), and is especially fond of the giant angelica, which occurs occasionally in patches. To salmon or other fish he is extremely partial, and I have seen places where he has been gorging himself on salmon on the Valasjok river, where th

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BEAR DRIVING IN RUSSIA

BEAR DRIVING IN RUSSIA

By the Earl of Kilmorey No sportsman passing a winter in Russia should leave the country without trying his hand at bear shooting. It is not necessary to go great distances from St. Petersburg to satisfy every desire, as plenty of bears are to be found in the enormous forests which still cover innumerable square miles in the immediate neighbourhood of the principal lines of railway. Moreover, to simplify matters for residents and foreigners alike, information concerning the whereabouts of bears

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AUROCHS HUNTING

AUROCHS HUNTING

By Major Algernon Heber Percy The European bison, or aurochs, Bison Bonasus , which used to roam in large herds over Europe, is now exclusively confined to the forest of Biolvitskia, in Lithuania, where it is known by the name of zubr. [15] It has long been protected and preserved here most strictly, and has been kept solely as a royal quarry, certainly from the time of the kings of Poland. Its habits appear much to resemble those of the wood bison of America now almost extinct; for example it m

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CHAPTER X THE LARGE GAME OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

CHAPTER X THE LARGE GAME OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

By Abel Chapman and W. J. Buck Though comparatively near ‘home,’ Spain is but little known to the mass of English sportsmen. Its game laws are not such as to deter the foreigner from visiting its shores, and its game list is a fairly long and interesting one; but such sport as Spain offers is mostly ‘driving’—a sport exciting enough in itself, but not to be compared with stalking or still hunting. Besides this, sport in Spain is expensive. As for the ibex of the Spanish highlands, a competent au

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I. INTRODUCTORY.

I. INTRODUCTORY.

In dealing with such a vast tract of country as India it is out of the question to describe any one class of outfit which will suit the traveller equally well among the snowy peaks and bitter winds of the Himalayas and Ladak and in the furnace-like heat of the plains. Snow is the great obstacle to travel in the former, whilst heat, rain, and malaria are the evils to be contended with in the latter. Nor is one class of weapon equally suitable everywhere. For all soft-skinned animals, such as tige

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II. THE BEARS OF INDIA AND BURMAH

II. THE BEARS OF INDIA AND BURMAH

There are no fewer than five varieties of bears to be found in our Eastern Empire. The three most commonly met with are the Himalayan black bear, Ursus torquatus (native name ‘Kala Bhalu’); the Himalayan snow bear, Ursus Isabellinus (native names ‘Lal Bhalu’; Cashmere ‘Harput’); and the sloth bear of the plains, Ursus labiatus (native names ‘Bhalu,’ ‘Reech,’ ‘Adam zad’). A FAIR CHANCE AT BLACK BEARS The Himalayan black bear is common enough on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, but rarely cro

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III. THE LION (Felis leo)

III. THE LION (Felis leo)

Native names : ‘ Sher-babbar ,’ ‘ Singh ,’ ‘ Unthia Bagh ’ The Indian lion differs little in appearance from the African variety, the males of both being furnished with manes, though a black mane is unknown in India. Lions are almost extinct in India, though there are still a few left in Guzerat and Kutch, and natives occasionally bring in reports of them in Central India; but the writer has not heard of one being shot in the last district for many years. The lion is a less active animal than th

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IV. TIGER (Felis tigris)

IV. TIGER (Felis tigris)

The tiger is found throughout India wherever there is suitable jungle, and extends through Burmah to the Malayan Archipelago and China, but is not found in Ceylon. Sterndale says: ‘It has been found as far north as the island of Saghalien, which is bisected by N. L. 50°. This is its extreme north-eastern limit, the Caspian Sea [17] being its westerly boundary. From parallel 50° downwards it is found in many parts of the highlands of Central Asia.’ Howdah shooting The biggest tigers the writer ha

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V. PANTHER (Felis Pardus)

V. PANTHER (Felis Pardus)

Native names: generally, ‘Chita’; in the Himalayas, ‘Lagá Bagá’; in Central India, ‘Téndwá’ The panther is common all over India, Burmah, and Ceylon, but does not cross the snow-line of the Himalayas, being replaced beyond the range by the ounce. Sterndale gives two varieties, the pard and the panther, describing the pard as being larger, the spots more clearly defined in rosettes, and the skull longer and more pointed than the panther’s. Sanderson also gives two varieties with the same distinct

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VI. THE CLOUDED PANTHER (Felis Diardii vel Macrocelis)

VI. THE CLOUDED PANTHER (Felis Diardii vel Macrocelis)

Native names: ‘Tungmar’ Lepcha; ‘Zik’ Bhotia; ‘Lamchitta’ of the Khas tribe (Sterndale) This panther seems to be entirely a forest animal. It extends from Nepal eastwards through Assam. Kinloch gives an instance of one having been shot, but specimens are very rarely obtained, though occasionally live cubs have been bought from natives. The chief peculiarities of this species are the extreme beauty of the colouring, and the fact that the upper canines are the longest in comparison of all living f

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VII. THE HUNTING LEOPARD (Felis jubata)

VII. THE HUNTING LEOPARD (Felis jubata)

Native names: ‘Chita’ generally; ‘Yuz’ of the Chita-catchers (Sterndale) This animal is generally found in Central or Southern India. The writer has never heard of it in the Punjab or North-West Provinces. According to Sterndale, it is most common in Jeypur in Upper India and Hyderabad in Southern India. In general colour it is like a panther, except that its nose is black instead of pinkish; it has a mane on the neck and long hair on the belly; its spots are single and not in rosettes. Its shap

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VIII. THE OUNCE, OR SNOW LEOPARD (Felis Uncia)

VIII. THE OUNCE, OR SNOW LEOPARD (Felis Uncia)

Generally, ‘Safed Chita’; Thibet, ‘Stian’ The ounce is fairly common on the higher ranges; there are few ibex grounds on which its tracks will not occasionally be seen, but owing to its nocturnal habits it is very rarely met with. It preys chiefly on ibex and burrel, and rarely, if ever, descends to the forest line. It will kill sheep and goats. A farm in Lahoul, belonging to the Moravian missionaries, suffered considerably in 1884 from the depredations of a pair of ounces that lived in the vall

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IX. THE THIBETAN LYNX (Felis Isabellina)

IX. THE THIBETAN LYNX (Felis Isabellina)

Thibetan, ‘Ee’ This beautiful animal is very rarely met with, but as the Tartars know it well by name, it is possible that it may be more plentiful than is commonly supposed; its nocturnal habits, as in the case of the ounce, shielding it from observation. The Tartars aver that it frequently kills sheep and goats; but though the lynx is quite powerful enough to do so, it is probable that the natives occasionally confound the lynx with the ounce. The lynx stands about 17 ins. at the shoulder, and

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X. WOLVES AND WILD DOGS

X. WOLVES AND WILD DOGS

Space does not permit an exhaustive description of these vermin, and it must be briefly said that there are three kinds of wolves in India. First is the ordinary wolf of the plains ( Canis pallipes ) which is more destructive to children and cattle than to game, and is generally called ‘Bheria’ by the natives. Authenticated tales of its ravages among the infant population are only too common, an old bitch wolf with cubs laid up near a village naturally finding Indian baby the most easily procure

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XI. THE STRIPED HYÆNA (Hyæna striata)

XI. THE STRIPED HYÆNA (Hyæna striata)

Native names: ‘Lakhar baghar’ generally; ‘Rerha,’ Central India This is scarcely a sporting beast, but being destructive to dogs is generally saluted with a shot if found by daylight, a thing which does not often happen. The striped hyæna is a large brute, with tremendous power of jaw, which lives principally on carrion, and will pick up a dog if found alone, though two or three dogs will easily beat it off. The hyæna has often been ridden down and speared, and shows little or no fight in spite

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XII. ELEPHANT (Elephas indicus)

XII. ELEPHANT (Elephas indicus)

Native names: ‘Hati’ generally; ‘Anay,’ Canarese (Sanderson); ‘Allia,’ Singhalese (Sterndale). The elephant is found along the foot of the Himalayas, from Deyhra Doon through Assam and Burmah to Siam; also in some parts of Central and Southern India and Ceylon. The difference between the Indian and African elephant is well marked; the small ears, smooth trunk, and more intelligent head of the former being very conspicuous. The marks on the grinders are also different, being in the Indian elephan

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XIII. RHINOCEROS

XIII. RHINOCEROS

There are no fewer than four different kinds of rhinoceros to be found in India and Burmah; viz. Indicus , Sondaicus , Lasiotis and Sumatrensis . The first, which is the most generally known, extends from the Nepal Terai to Assam. The second is found in the Sunderbuns, and from Manipur through Burmah to the Malay Peninsula; the third is found in Arakan and Tenasserim; the fourth, from Tenasserim through Burmah to Siam and the Malay Peninsula; the two first varieties being one-horned, the two las

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XIV. THE MALAY TAPIR (Tapirus malayanus)

XIV. THE MALAY TAPIR (Tapirus malayanus)

Native names: ‘Ta-ra-shu,’ Burmese; ‘Kuda-ayer,’ Malayan Sterndale says of it: Habitat: Tenasserim provinces, as high as 15° N. Lat., Lower Siam, the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Description: General colour glossy black, but with the back, rump, and sides of the belly white; the young are beautifully variegated, being striped and spotted with yellow fawn on the upper parts of the body and with white below. Mr. Mason writes: ‘Though seen so rarely, the tapir is by no means uncommon in

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XV. WILD BOAR (Sus indicus)

XV. WILD BOAR (Sus indicus)

It is a maxim in India that the only sportsmanlike way of killing boar is with horse and spear, and therefore as these volumes treat principally of those beasts which fall or should fall to the rifle, this pluckiest of all beasts must be dismissed with a very brief notice. Occasionally there may be some justification for shooting boar, but as they travel great distances, none ought to be shot within forty miles of rideable ground. Several cases are on record in which an old boar has beaten off a

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XVI. THE PIGMY HOG (Porcula salvania)

XVI. THE PIGMY HOG (Porcula salvania)

Native names: ‘Sano-banel,’ Nepal; ‘Chota soor,’ Hindi This tiny little wild pig is found in the Sál forests of Nepal and Sikkim. It has the reputation of going in herds like the peccary and attacking intruders in the same fearless way. In shape it only differs from the common wild pig in that its snout is comparatively shorter, and the eye consequently set midway between snout and ear. Its tail, too, is short and is hidden among the bristles on the rump. It has long bristles all over its back a

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XVII. CROCODILES

XVII. CROCODILES

Native names: ‘Muggur,’ the snub-nosed variety; ‘Ghayal,’ the long-nosed variety The crocodile is a kind of vermin, of which there are two varieties in India—the flat-nosed and the long-nosed. Though not perhaps objects of the highest form of sport, still a good deal of fun may be had with them; and as they are awful brutes for robbing the sportsman of any birds that may be dropped on the water—will take down his dog if he sends it in to retrieve, and in many places will take human beings—their

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XVIII. GAUR (Gavæus Gaurus)

XVIII. GAUR (Gavæus Gaurus)

Native names: ‘Gaor,’ ‘Gaori-gai’; generally, ‘Gail,’ Chota Nagpur; ‘Khulga,’ Western Ghauts; ‘Karti,’ Mysore; ‘Mithan,’ Bhootan. Gaur, or bison, [23] as they are usually called, are found in suitable localities, from the Terai, through Bhootan, Assam and Burmah, to the Malayan Peninsula and throughout Central and Southern India, but do not extend to Ceylon. The 28th degree of North latitude seems their extreme northern limit, otherwise it would be difficult to account for their absence in what

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XIX. BURMESE WILD OX (Gavæus sondaicus)

XIX. BURMESE WILD OX (Gavæus sondaicus)

Native names: ‘Tsoing,’ Burmah; ‘Banteng,’ Java; (Sterndale). Habitat: Burmah, the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. Blyth says it is domesticated in the Island of Bali. This animal resembles the gaur in many respects, having the distinctive white stockings, but has no frontal or dorsal ridge. Its horns are more like those of the gayal, but it has not the dewlap of the latter, and it appears to be a much smaller and lighter built animal than either gaur or gayal. The old bull is black

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XX. YAK (Poephagus grunniens)

XX. YAK (Poephagus grunniens)

Native names : ‘ Donkh, ’ ‘Dhong ,’ Ladak ; ‘ Bunchowr ,’ Hindi Wild yak are said to be plentiful throughout Thibet, but at present the Tartars watch their frontier so jealously that it is almost impossible for Europeans to cross with any chance of obtaining sport; particularly as the sportsman’s own Tartar attendants would be the first to endeavour to frustrate any ambitious schemes of exploration. It must be remembered that, not only would they be held responsible by the Leh authorities if any

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XXI. BUFFALO (Bubalus arni)

XXI. BUFFALO (Bubalus arni)

Native names generally: ‘Ban Bhains,’ ‘Arná’ the male, ‘Arni’ the female; in Bengal, ‘Mains’ The buffalo is found in Nepal, and extends eastward through Assam to Burmah. It is plentiful in the Sunderbuns, in the Central Provinces, and in Ceylon, but is not found, according to Sanderson, in Southern India. Forsyth gives 80° as the extreme western limit of buffaloes in Central India, and says that they are not found north of the Nerbudda river. The wild buffalo only differs from the tame one in be

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XXII. SAMBUR (Rusa Aristotelis)

XXII. SAMBUR (Rusa Aristotelis)

Generally, ‘Sambur’ or ‘Maha’; in Gurwhal, ‘Jerow’ or ‘Barasingh’ The sambur is found throughout the lower slopes of the Himalayas from the eastern bank of the Sutlej river (Kinloch points out that the Sutlej seems to be its boundary), and extends all over India and Ceylon to the south, and through Assam and Burmah as far as the Malay Peninsula to the south-east, wherever there are forest-clad hills. It does not ascend to any great elevation, being rarely found above an altitude of 5,000 or 6,00

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XXIII. HOGDEER (Axis porcinus)

XXIII. HOGDEER (Axis porcinus)

Native name: generally ‘Para’ Kinloch aptly describes this deer as the rabbit of Indian battues. It is a long-bodied rather heavily built beast on short legs with horns like a small sambur, the brow antlers coming straight up from the burr at an acute angle without the handsome curve of those of the spotted deer. The stags are reddish brown, their hair coarse and thick, their tails rather long and exactly of the sambur type, their ears round, not pointed like a spotted deer. When galloping throu

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XXIV. SPOTTED DEER (Axis maculatus)

XXIV. SPOTTED DEER (Axis maculatus)

Native names: ‘Chital,’ ‘Chitra’; the Stag ‘Jhank’ About the beauty of the skin of this beast, the writer heard a story of a man who was taking such particular pains to preserve the hide of a stag he had shot that his companion asked him what he wanted it for, adding, ‘It’s only a chital.’ ‘Yes,’ returned the other, ‘it may be only a chital on the banks of the Nerbudda, but I am going to send it home, and it will be a leopard at Northampton.’ The horns are of the rusine type, but the brow antler

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XXV. SWAMP DEER (Rucervus Duvaucelli)

XXV. SWAMP DEER (Rucervus Duvaucelli)

Native names: ‘Gōn,’ ‘Gond,’ ‘Barasingha,’ ‘Maha’; in Central India, ‘Goen’ or ‘Goenjak’ (male); ‘Gaoni’ (female) (Sterndale) This deer avoids heavy forest and is nearly always found in the swamps and open grassy plains near rivers. Colonel Erskine, the Commissioner of Kumaon, writes of it: I have shot numbers of these deer, but all in the swampy Terai country in the north of Oudh bordering on Nepal, and in that part of the Pilibhit district on the same frontier. I have never heard of it much to

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XXVI. BROW-ANTLERED OR ELD’S DEER

XXVI. BROW-ANTLERED OR ELD’S DEER

( Rucervus vel Panolia Eldii ) Native names : ‘ Thamin ,’ ‘ Sungrai ’ This variety of swamp deer is found chiefly in Burmah, but extends from Munipur to the Malay Peninsula. Its habits are, as above noted, the same as those of the swamp deer, but it is rather differently coloured, being, according to Sterndale, ‘of a light rufous brown with a few faint indications of white spots, the under parts and insides of the ears nearly white, the tail short and black above. It is said to become darker in

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XXVII. THE CASHMERE STAG (Cervus cashmirianus)—Sterndale, Kinloch. (Cervus Wallichii)—Jerdon, Ward

XXVII. THE CASHMERE STAG (Cervus cashmirianus)—Sterndale, Kinloch. (Cervus Wallichii)—Jerdon, Ward

Cashmere: Hangal, Barasingh This is the stag par excellence of India. A sambur has a fine head and so has a swamp deer, but neither approaches in beauty to a barasingh. A good stag’s head is one of the trophies of the Himalayas, but unfortunately it is getting scarcer year by year. Sheep and cattle affect this deer but little, as they keep more or less to the open downs and glades; but the yearly increasing herds of buffaloes that come up from the plains to graze in Cashmere during the summer, a

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XXVIII. THE SIKKIM STAG (Cervus affinis vel Wallichi)

XXVIII. THE SIKKIM STAG (Cervus affinis vel Wallichi)

Native name: ‘Shou.’ Habitat: Eastern Himalayas; Thibet, in the Choombi Valley, on the Sikkim side of Thibet (Sterndale) None of the heads of this variety in the British Museum have more than ten points. Their colour, according to Jerdon, is a fine clear grey in winter, with a moderately large disc; pale rufous in summer, quite different from the rich mouse colour of the barasingh. Hodgson’s description of the horns is most accurate, the flatness of the brow antlers is very marked, ‘pedicles ele

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XXIX. MUSK DEER (Moschus moschiferus)

XXIX. MUSK DEER (Moschus moschiferus)

Generally ‘Kastura’; Garwhal and Kumaon, ‘Bena,’ ‘Masaknaba’; Cashmere, ‘Roos,’ ‘Rous’ This little deer is found all over the hills above an altitude of 7,000 or 8,000 ft., except in Ladak, though it is said to be plentiful in Thibet, beyond the frontier of Nepal. Cover of some sort, bushes or timber, seems necessary for it, and the want of this is probably the reason it does not extend to Ladak. Except that district, every shooting ground of the right elevation seems to hold musk deer; and as,

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XXX. BARKING, OR RIB-FACED DEER

XXX. BARKING, OR RIB-FACED DEER

( Cervulus Aureus , vel Muntjac ) ‘Kakur,’ generally throughout the Himalayas; ‘Ratwa,’ in Nepal and neighbouring states; ‘Jungli Bukra,’ in Central Provinces; ‘Muntjac,’ Sundanese This deerlet is found pretty generally throughout India, Burmah, Ceylon and the Malay Peninsula, wherever there are fairly high hills covered with forest. Thick cover and plenty of water seem essential to it. Kakur are not gregarious; they are generally found in pairs, each pair seeming to keep pretty much to its own

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XXXI. THE LARGE WILD SHEEP OF INDIA

XXXI. THE LARGE WILD SHEEP OF INDIA

( Oves Poli, Ammon, &amp;c. ) In Central and Northern Asia there were at one time no fewer than eight recognised varieties of giant wild sheep, viz. O. Poli , O. Karelini , O. Heinsi , O. nigrimontana , O. Ammon , O. Hodgsonii , O. Brookei , O. nivicola . Mr. W. T. Blanford, however, after inspecting a magnificent collection of heads, made by Hon. C. Ellis, which exhibit every gradation of curve between the two extreme types, declared in his paper to the Zoological Society in 1884 that he co

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XXXII. BURREL (Ovis Nahura vel Burhel)

XXXII. BURREL (Ovis Nahura vel Burhel)

Native names: ‘Baral,’ ‘Barut’; in Ladak ‘Napo’ the male, ‘Namoo’ the female; Zanskar, ‘Snapo,’ ‘Snamoo’; on the Sutlej ‘Wa’ Sterndale appears to have fallen into a curious mistake about this sheep. He says: ‘The name Ovis Nahura is not a felicitous one, as it was given under a mistake by Hodgson, the nahoor being quite another animal. I think Blyth’s name of Ovis Burhel should be adopted.’ On reference, however, to Blyth’s account in the ‘Proceedings Zoo. Soc. 1840,’ it will be found that he ca

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XXXIII. SHAPOO (Ovis Vignei)

XXXIII. SHAPOO (Ovis Vignei)

Native names: ‘Shapoo’ the male, ‘Shamoo’ the female; in Astor, ‘Oorin’ Shapoo and oorin, though by some naturalists classed as separate varieties, may practically be considered identical; the writer has hunted both, and is unable to distinguish any difference in appearance or habits. The annual winter migration of oorin to the Boonji Plain is probably attributable to the snowfall in Astor being heavier than that of Ladak. The only other difference (giving the result of individual experience) is

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XXXIV. OORIAL (Ovis cycloceros)

XXXIV. OORIAL (Ovis cycloceros)

Generally ‘Oorial,’ ‘Kuch,’ in the Suleiman range This sheep is found in the Salt range near Jhelum, and wherever there are any suitable hills on both banks of the Indus from about Peshawur down to Beloochistan, where it is replaced by the next variety, Ovis Blanfordi . The ram has a long ruff of grizzled black hair which, flowing from his throat and chest down to his knees, emulates the grand beard of a markhor; this beard drops off in the summer, but begins growing again in August, and is at i

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XXXV. OVIS BLANFORDI

XXXV. OVIS BLANFORDI

This variety is found in Khelat, and a few specimens have been procured near Quetta. Its horns are described as being longer and more slender than those of O. cycloceros or O. Vignei , and as having a second twist outwards at the ends. It has a white beard, unlike either shapoo or oorial....

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XXXVI. MARKHOR (Capra megaceros vel Falconeri)

XXXVI. MARKHOR (Capra megaceros vel Falconeri)

Native names: Cashmere, ‘Markhor’; Ladak, ‘Rache’; Aster, ‘Boom’ Whether this king among goats deserves his name of ‘snake-eater’ or not is hardly likely to be settled. Shikaris all believe that markhor do eat snakes, some going as far as to say that they suck the snakes out of their holes, and swallow them like macaroni; and Colonel Kinloch supports the theory. But though some hundreds of markhor have been shot by Europeans, the fact has hitherto not been proved; and the writer ventures in all

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XXXVII. IBEX (Capra sibirica)

XXXVII. IBEX (Capra sibirica)

Cashmere, ‘Kale’; Ladak, ‘Skeen’; Pangi and Lahoul, ‘Tangrol’ In his summer coat Ibex vary very much in colour according to age, locality and the season. In their winter coats the old bucks, though looking almost white at a distance, and showing up conspicuously among the brown young bucks and females, are really very patchy looking at close quarters, the head and part of the neck being a sepia brown, the middle of the body generally yellowish white with a dark stripe on the back, and the quarte

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XXXVIII.—THE IBEX OF PERSIA AND SINDH (Capra ægagrus)

XXXVIII.—THE IBEX OF PERSIA AND SINDH (Capra ægagrus)

Native names: ‘Pasang,’ male; ‘Boz,’ female; generally Boz Pasang in Persia (Blanford); Kayeek in Asia Minor (Danford) This ibex extends from the Taurus mountains in Asia Minor, through the Caucasus range and Persia, to Afghanistan, Beluchistan and Sindh. It is a smaller animal than the Himalayan ibex, and does not ascend to the same altitude, preferring, according to Mr. Danford, elevations of 2,000 to 5,000 ft., while 8,000 ft. is about the lowest limit of the Himalayan variety. In Beluchistan

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XXXIX. THER (Capra jemlaica)

XXXIX. THER (Capra jemlaica)

Gurwhal, ‘Ther,’ female ‘Theri,’ ‘Tahr,’ or ‘Jhula,’ female ‘Tharni’; Chamba and Pangi, ‘Kart’; Cashmere, ‘Jagla’; Khistwar, ‘Kras’; Nepal, ‘Jharál’ Ther are found at high elevations, where the forest line begins to give way to the snow throughout the southern slopes of the Himalayas, from Cashmere to Bhutan. Its north-west limit appears to be where the Jhelum river separates the Kajnag from the Pir Punjal ranges; though fairly common in the latter, it is apparently unknown in the Kajnag, nor is

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XL. NEILGHERRY IBEX (Hemitragus hylocrius)

XL. NEILGHERRY IBEX (Hemitragus hylocrius)

Native Names: ‘Warra-adu,’ ‘Warri-atu’; Tamil (Sterndale) ‘Kárd-ardoo’; Canarese (Sanderson) This wild goat is found in the Neilgherry range, and most of the higher hills in the south of India. It is not found in Mysore nor in Ceylon. The old buck is of a dark sepia colour, with a light, grizzled saddle mark, lower parts paler brown, legs and face dark, and a short stiff mane on the neck and withers; the young bucks and females being lighter in colour. The horns much resemble those of the ther,

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XLI. GOORAL (Nemorhædus Goral)

XLI. GOORAL (Nemorhædus Goral)

Generally, ‘Gooral’ or ‘Ban bakri’; Chumba, ‘Pij’; Cashmere, ‘Nain,’ ‘Norn’ This is quite the most sporting of the minor beasts of the chase. It is pretty generally distributed along the whole of the lower slopes of the Himalayas from the Indus river to the Kachin hills in Burmah; horns of both gooral and serow were found by the Phunkan column in 1889. In Cashmere they are scarce, a few only being found in the Kajnag and Pir Punjal ranges, but from Kishtwar to the south-east they are pretty plen

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XLII. SEROW (Nemorhædus bubalinus)

XLII. SEROW (Nemorhædus bubalinus)

Gurwhal, ‘Serow’; Sutlej Valley, ‘Imu’; Cashmere, ‘Ramoo,’ ‘Halj,’ ‘Salabhir’; Chamba, ‘Goa,’ ‘Jhangal’ The serow is a heavily built, awkward looking animal, intensely ugly, suggesting a cross between a donkey and a cow, with a wild-looking bristly black mane, large coarse ears, horns like those of a gooral, only bigger; its general colour is black on the back and head, the muzzle being dirty white; the sides, forearms and thighs are of bright red clay colour, the under parts and legs being whit

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XLIII. TAKIN (Budorcas taxicolor)

XLIII. TAKIN (Budorcas taxicolor)

Native name: ‘Takin,’ ‘Takhon’ This curious animal, which is found just outside British limits in the Mishmi and Akha hills, north of Assam, and in Eastern Thibet, is a kind of large serow; but its horns, instead of being sharp upright spikes like those of the serow and gooral, are more of the bovine type, being rounded, smooth, and with the distinctive wrinkles and longitudinal marks of genus Nemorhædus faintly defined. Their peculiar twist is best explained by the accompanying sketch. An artic

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XLIV. THIBETAN ANTELOPE (Pantholops Hodgsonii—Sterndale, Kinloch); (Kemas Hodgsonii—Ward)

XLIV. THIBETAN ANTELOPE (Pantholops Hodgsonii—Sterndale, Kinloch); (Kemas Hodgsonii—Ward)

Cashmeree shikaris know it as ‘Heran.’ The Ladak name is ‘Chiru,’ or ‘Choos’ This rather curious antelope is pretty plentiful in the Changchmeno Valley, the only easily accessible place for European sportsmen where it is found. A few are said to have been shot in the neighbourhood of the Mansarovárá Lake, near the North-Western frontier of Nepal, and they are also to be met with all over the lofty plateau which has to be crossed on the way to Yarkand. It appears, however, never to have been foun

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XLV. THE SAIGA ANTELOPE (Saiga tartarica)

XLV. THE SAIGA ANTELOPE (Saiga tartarica)

This extraordinary animal, which hails from Central Asia, is said to be a relative of the Thibetan antelope, on account of the peculiar formation of the nose. In the stuffed specimens in the British Museum there is little or no resemblance between the two; the Thibetan antelope having there, as in its natural state, a broad puffy muzzle, while the saiga antelope has, at all events in the Museum, in addition to a very high chevron, an absurd-looking elongated snout like a tapir, projecting far be

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XLVI. THE THIBETAN GAZELLE (Gazella picticaudata, Procapra picticaudata—Ward)

XLVI. THE THIBETAN GAZELLE (Gazella picticaudata, Procapra picticaudata—Ward)

Thibetan ‘Goa’ This lovely little animal is of a creamy fawn colour in its winter coat. It has a white anal disc of longish hair, and a black tail about four inches long, which, like the Indian gazelle, it keeps perpetually wagging. The summer coat is slaty grey. The horns are like those of the Indian gazelle, but are longer, of finer grain, and have a far bolder sweep backwards before turning up at the tips. The female has no horns. It frequents the high plateaux along the Chinese frontier, in

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XLVII. INDIAN ANTELOPE (Antilope Bezoartica)

XLVII. INDIAN ANTELOPE (Antilope Bezoartica)

Generally ‘Heran,’ or ‘Mirug,’ from the Sanscrit ‘Mirga’ This is the well-known black buck, which is found all over India at intervals from the extreme south to as far north as the Jhelum, following the southern bank of that river till (joined by the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej) it flows into the Indus, which then becomes the black buck’s northern boundary. Essentially a plains-loving animal, it avoids hills and heavy forest, but is often found in the long grass which covers the islands and banks of

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XLVIII. THE NYLGHAO (Portax pictus)

XLVIII. THE NYLGHAO (Portax pictus)

Native names: ‘Nilghao,’ ‘Lilghao’; in the Punjab, ‘Roz’ This animal is found pretty nearly all over the plains of India. Jerdon says it is not known in the extreme south of India, but Sanderson mentions it as occurring in the Madras Presidency on the borders of Mysore. According to my own experience, it is most plentiful in Central India, though it is common enough in the North-West Provinces. An old male, usually called a blue bull, is a large beast with a lean head, surmounted by short cow-li

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XLIX. INDIAN GAZELLE (Gazella Bennetti)

XLIX. INDIAN GAZELLE (Gazella Bennetti)

Commonly called Ravine Deer; native name generally ‘Chikara’ The gazelle is found in suitable localities pretty nearly all over India, with the exception of Lower Bengal, the Western Ghauts, and the Malabar coast. Wherever there is sandy ground, low stony hills, or the network of ravines which fringes the banks of so many Indian streams near their sources, or where they cut their way through low hills, ravine deer are likely to be found. They avoid heavy forest or swamp covered with high grass,

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L. THE FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE (Tetraceros quadricornis)

L. THE FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE (Tetraceros quadricornis)

Native names: generally ‘Charsingha,’ ‘Choka,’ ‘Doda’; in Chota Nagpur ‘Cháorang’ (Kinloch) Four-horned antelopes are found thinly scattered all over India, but, according to Sterndale, not in Ceylon or Burmah. They are met with in Rajputana, but the writer has never heard of them in the Punjab. They generally live alone or in pairs, and frequent bamboo jungle, or the long grass and bushes near forests. Their colouring varies a good deal, but it is generally a reddish-brown, paler below the fore

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LI. THE MOUSE DEER (Meminna indica)

LI. THE MOUSE DEER (Meminna indica)

Native names: ‘Pisora,’ ‘Pisai’ Habitat, the large forests of India; but it is not known, according to Jerdon, in the countries eastward of the Bay of Bengal. It is common in the bamboo forests of the Central Provinces (Sterndale). The writer has never heard of it in Northern India, nor has he even seen it in Central India; in the Western Ghauts it is common enough. In colour it is an olive dun, with lines of pale yellow spots along the sides; the lower parts are white; the ears small and rounde

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LII. KYANG (Equus hemionus)

LII. KYANG (Equus hemionus)

Thibet ‘Kyang’ The kyang was doubtless originally intended by Providence to fulfil some good purpose, but having turned out a failure was located in Thibet, where it was probably considered it would not be much in the way; or else it was designed to take the place of the insect life on the lower ranges and act as a blister on the temper of the sportsman. The shapoo, limb of the devil as it is, has some good points in its favour—e.g. a graceful carriage, fine horns, and it is a desirable acquisit

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LIII. THE WILD ASS (Equus onager)

LIII. THE WILD ASS (Equus onager)

Native names: ‘Ghor khur,’ Hindi; ‘Ghour,’ ‘Kherdecht,’ Persian; ‘Koulan,’ Kirghiz (Sterndale). The wild ass is common in Persia and extends through Beluchistan and Sind to the Bikaneer Desert and Kutch, its southern limit according to Jerdon being Deesa, and its eastern 75° E. longitude. It is closely allied to, if not identical with, the wild ass of Assyria, Equus hemippus . As south of the Indus the wild ass is by no means common, and is very shy and difficult to stalk in the open desert, com

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CHAPTER XII THE OVIS POLI OF THE PAMIR

CHAPTER XII THE OVIS POLI OF THE PAMIR

By St. George Littledale The great Pamir, or ‘roof of the world,’ forms the nucleus of the whole Central Asiatic highland system, and consists of a vast plateau formation some 30,000 square miles in extent, with a mean elevation of at least 15,000 ft. This, shortly, is what modern geographers have to say of the home of Ovis Poli : The plain is called Pamier, and you ride across it for twelve days together—finding nothing but a desert without habitations or any green thing, so that travellers are

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CHAPTER XIII CAMPS, TRANSPORT, ETC.

CHAPTER XIII CAMPS, TRANSPORT, ETC.

By Clive Phillipps-Wolley It is not possible to devise a camp outfit which would suffice in all climates and under every condition of travel, and for that reason a few notes on the special outfit necessary for each country have been given where requisite. But, although different climates require different camp equipment, there are many things common to camp life all over the globe, and a brief sketch of the needs and shifts of such a life in temperate, tropical and arctic countries may at any ra

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CHAPTER XIV A FEW NOTES ON RIFLES AND AMMUNITION

CHAPTER XIV A FEW NOTES ON RIFLES AND AMMUNITION

By H. W. H. Express Rifles. -These are usually made of five different calibres—viz. .360, .400, .450, .500, and .577—and are called ‘Expresses’ on account of the high velocity imparted to comparatively light bullets by the heavy charges of powder used in these rifles. Many sportsmen are under the impression that all Expresses of the same bore are practically the same—at any rate, as far as their power, velocity, &amp;c., are concerned—and look upon, say, a .500 Express as a fixed quantity. N

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CHAPTER XV HINTS ON TAXIDERMY, ETC

CHAPTER XV HINTS ON TAXIDERMY, ETC

By Clive Phillipps-Wolley That ‘the reward lies not in the prize but in the race we run’ is probably more true of sport than of any other pursuit, and yet even in big game shooting there are prizes to strive after which serve at any rate to remind the winners of the races they ran to obtain them. To the man who has won them fairly, the mighty antlers and fierce masks which hang in his hall or study are treasures beyond price. As to the men who buy such trophies, they are not of our guild, nor is

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