being reserved for
irrigated forests. A forest of this class covering an area of 37 square
miles and irrigated from the Upper Bari Doab Canal has long existed at
Changa Manga in the Lahore district.

~Forests in Kashmir.~--The extensive and valuable Kashmir forests are
mountain and hill forests, the former, which cover much the larger area
yielding, _deodar_, blue pine, and firs, and the latter _chir_ pine. The
total area exceeds 2600 square miles.

CHAPTER VIII

BEASTS, BIRDS, FISHES, AND INSECTS

~Fauna.~--With the spread of cultivation and drainage the Panjab plains
have ceased to be to anything like the old extent the haunt of wild
beasts and wild fowl. The lion has long been extinct and the tiger has
practically disappeared. Leopards are to be found in low hills, and
sometimes stray into the plains. Wolves are seen occasionally, and
jackals are very common. The black buck (Antilope cerricapra) can still
be shot in many places. The graceful little _chinkara_ or ravine deer
(Gazella Bennetti) is found in sandy tracts, and the hogdeer or _parha_
(Cervus porcinus) near rivers. The _nilgai_ (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is
less common. Monkeys abound in the hills and in canal-irrigated tracts
in the Eastern districts, where their sacred character protects them
from destruction, though they do much damage to crops. Peafowl are to be
seen in certain tracts, especially in the eastern Panjab. They should
not be shot where the people are Hindus or anywhere near a Hindu shrine.
The great and lesser bustards and several kinds of sand grouse are to be
found in sandy districts. The grey partridge is everywhere, and the
black can be got near the rivers. The _sisi_ and the _chikor_ are the
partridges of the hills, which are also the home of fine varieties of
pheasants including the _monal_. Quail frequent the ripening fields in
April and late in September. Duck of various kinds abound where there
are _jhils_, and snipe are to be got in marshy ground. The green
parrots, crows, and vultures are familiar sights. Both the sharp-nosed
(Garialis Gangetica, vern. _gharial_) and the blunt-nosed (Crocodilus
palustris, vern. magar) crocodiles haunt the rivers. The fish are
tasteless; the _rohu_ and _mahseer_ are the best. Poisonous snakes are
the _karait_, the _cobra_, and Russell's viper. The first is sometimes
an intruder into houses. Lizards and mongooses are less unwelcome
visitors. White ants attack timber and ruin books, and m