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Description of fauna seen near the Shiloi Valley |
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This time we started straight up an exceedingly steep slope and got to the top of the tila we had come down from the night before. Going along the tila till about 11.30, we were horrified to see a tremendous chasm between us and the main spur from Mollen, which we had to cross. However, looking back I saw trees which suggested a connection with the ridge we were on, and by retracing our steps we managed to find a narrow saddle connecting up with the main ridge, which we reached about 12.0. On the way up I put up a couple of woodcock, as they seemed to go down further up the nulla I took an old hammer gun from one of my chaprasis and went after them. Sure enough they got up again and I bagged one. I ought to have had the other with the second barrel, but being used to a single trigger gun, pulled vigorously at the fired trigger till the bird was out of my sight. |
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We came in sight of the Shiloi valley about 1.0, but to find a way down and reach the camping ground at the bottom took us till 5.0pm very nearly. We had of course just hit off the top of the precipitous lime stone cliff at the head of the valley. On the way down I had a shot at, and missed, a young sambhar buck, and saw but did not get a shot at, a hen pheasant, the first I have seen of the rare Mrs Hume's pheasant - it was certainly a pheasant, and certainly no other Naga Hills pheasant - and heard a tragopan calling. The coolies behind saw a sambhar stag "as big as a buffalo". |
