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Agricultural practices and wildlife around Zubza |
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Up at 7 a.m. After breakfast we rode on 9 miles to ZUBZA Inspection bungalow. Arrived at about 11 a.m. Very fine view up the valley, with Kohima clearly visible on the sky-line high above us. Also views of JOTSOMA village & of Japro, a high mountain (9890 ft). Terraced cultivation (panikhets) all around, throwing the hill-sides into steps. I was tired & very stiff, after unaccustomed riding & did not go out again, except to visit the small native Police-post, until after tea, when I had a 4- mile walk by myself, returning when it got dark. I saw many Red-vented Bulbuls & another bulbul, drongos (Dicrurus ater), Grey wagtails, doves (some cooing like woodpigeons); a green whip-snake on the road, also a huge toad. The rice in the panikhets was standing quite high, & some of the fields were set with a great variety of scare-crows attached to jerking strings or to long springy bamboos. Towards evening Kohima became enveloped in cloud & was apparently enjoying a thunderstorm, but no rain fell on Zubza. At night a large, all-black beetle flew into the sitting room, & made a curious loud hissing noise when picked up. |
