n parts of the Punjab,
and it is common throughout the North-west. It is a wary, restless
little beast, and requires good shooting, for it does not afford much
of a mark. When disturbed they keep constantly shifting, not going
far, but hovering about in a most tantalising way. Natives it cares
little for, unless it be a shikari with a gun, of which it seems to
have intuitive perception; but the ordinary cultivator, with his
load of wood and grass, may approach within easy shot; therefore it
is not a bad plan, when there is no available cover, to get one of
these men to walk alongside of you, whilst, with a horse-cloth or
blanket over you, you make yourself look as like your guide as you
can. A horse or bullock is also a great help. I had a little bullock
which formed part of some loot at Banda--a very handsome little bull,
easy to ride and steady under fire--and I found him most useful in
stalking black buck and gazelle.

When alarmed, the _chikara_ stamps its foot and gives a sharp little
hiss. It is generally found in small herds of four or five, but often
singly. Jerdon, however, says that in the extreme North-west he had
seen twenty or more together, and this is corroborated by Kinloch.

They are sometimes hunted by hawks and dogs combined, the _churrug_
(_Falco sacer_) being the hawk usually employed, as mentioned both
by Kinloch and Hodgson, writing of opposite ends of the great
Himalayan chain. The hawk stoops at the head of its quarry and
confuses it, whilst the dogs, who would otherwise have no chance,
run up and seize it.

The poor little gazelle has also many other enemies--jackals and
wolves being amongst the number. Captain Baldwin, in his interesting
book, writes: "Like other antelopes, the little ravine-deer has many
enemies besides man. One day, when out with my rifle, I noticed an
old female gazelle stamping her feet, and every now and then making
that hiss which is the alarm note of the animal. It was not I that
was the cause of her terror, for I had passed close to her only a
few minutes before, and she seemed to understand by my manner that
I meant no harm; no, there was something else. I turned back, and,
on looking down a ravine close by, saw a crafty wolf attempting a
stalk on the mother and young one. Another day, at Agra, a pair of
jackals joined in the chase of a wounded buck." Brigadier-General
McMaster also relates how he and two friends, whilst coursing,
watched for a long time four jack