the well. In many instances, where fields require to be watered, the men and women draw water in buckets and irrigate them.

The country and towns of Hindustân are extremely ugly. All its towns and lands have Its aspect. an uniform look; its gardens have no walls; the greater part of it is a level plain. The banks of its rivers and streams, in consequence of the rushing of the torrents that descend during the rainy season, are worn deep into the channel, which makes it generally difficult and troublesome to cross them. In many places, the plain is covered by a thorny brushwood, to such a degree that the people of the Pergannas, relying on these forests, take shelter in them, and, trusting to their inaccessible situation, often continue in a state of revolt, refusing to pay their taxes. In Hindustân, if you except the rivers, there is little running water. Now and then some standing water is to be met with. All these cities and countries derive their water from wells or tanks, in which it is collected during the rainy season. In Hindustân, the populousness and decay, or total destruction of villages, nay of cities, is almost instantaneous. Large cities that have been inhabited for a series of years (if, on an alarm, the inhabitants take to flight), in a single day, or a day and a half, are so completely abandoned, that you can scarcely discover a trace or mark of population. And if, on the other hand, they intend to settle on any particular spot, as they do not need to run water-courses, or to build flood-mounds, their crops being produced without irrigation,3 and the population of Hindustân being unlimited, inhabitants swarm in in every direction. They make a tank or dig a well; there is no need of building a strong house or erecting a firm wall; they have abundance of strong grass, and plenty of timber, of which they run up hovels, and a village or town is constructed in an instant.

2

As for the animals peculiar to Hindustân, one is the elephant, the Hindustânis call Its quadrupeds. it Hathi, which inhabits the district of Kalpi; and the higher you advance from thence The eletowards the east, the more do the wild elephants increase in number. That is the phant. tract in which the elephant is chiefly taken. There may be thirty or forty villages in Karrah and Manikpûr that are occupied solely in this employment of taking elephants.*

1 In Persia there are few rivers, but numbers of artificial canals or water-runs for irrigation, and for the supply of water to towns and villages. The same is the case in the valley of Soghd, and the richer parts of Mâweralnaher.

2 This is the wulsa or walsa, so well described by Colonel Wilks in his Historical Sketches, vol. I. p. 309, note: "On the approach of an hostile army, the unfortunate inhabitants of India bury under ground their most cumbrous effects, and each individual, man, woman, and child above six years of age (the infant children being carried by their mothers), with a load of grain proportioned to their strength, issue from their beloved homes, and take the direction of a country (if such can be found) exempt from the miseries of war; sometimes of a strong fortress, but more generally of the most unfrequented hills and woods, where they prolong a miserable existence until the departure of the enemy; and if this should be protracted beyond the time for which they have provided food, a large portion necessarily dies of hunger." See the note itself. The Historical Sketches should be read by every one who desires to have an accurate idea of the South of India. It is to be regretted that we do not possess the history.of any other part of India, written with the same knowledge or research.

3 Lalmi.

The improvement of Hindustân since Baber's time must be prodigious. The wild elephant is now confined to the forests under Hemâla, and to the Ghats of Malabar. A wild elephant near Karrah (Currah), Manikpûr, or Kalpi, is a thing, at the present day, totally unknown. May not their familiar existence in these countries, down to Baber's days, be considered as rather hostile to the accounts given of the superabundant population of Hindusțân in remote times ?

Rhinoceros.

They account to the government for the elephants which they take. The elephant is an immense animal, and of great sagacity. It understands whatever you tell it, and does whatever it is bid. Its value is in proportion to its size. When it arrives at a proper age they sell it, and the largest brings the highest price. They say that in some islands the elephant grows to the height of ten gez.1 I have never, in these countries, seen one above four or five gez. The elephant eats and drinks entirely by means of his trunk. He cannot live if he loses it. On the two sides of his trunk, in his upper jaw, he has two tusks; it is by applying these teeth, and exerting all his force, that he overturns walls and tears up trees; and, when he fights or performs any operation that requires great exertion, he makes use of these tusks, which they call Aaj. The tusks are highly valued by the Hindûs. The elephant is not covered with hair or wool3 like other animals. The natives of Hindustân place great reliance on their elephants; in their armies, every division has invariably a certain number with it. The elephant has some valuable qualities; it can carry a great quantity of baggage over deep and rapid torrents, and passes them with ease; gun-carriages, which it takes four or five hundred men to drag, two or three elephants draw without difficulty. But it has a great stomach, and a single elephant will consume the grain of seven or fourteen camels.

The rhinoceros is another. This also is a huge animal. Its bulk is equal to that of three buffaloes. The opinion prevalent in our countries, that a rhinoceros can lift an elephant on its horn, is probably a mistake. It has a single horn over its nose, upwards of a span in length, but I never saw one of two spans. Out of one of the largest of these horns I had a drinking-vessel made, and a dice-box, and about three or four fingers' bulk of it might be left. Its hide is very thick. If it be shot at with a powerful bow, drawn up to the armpit with much force, and if the arrow pierces at all, it enters only three or four fingers' breadth. They say, however, that there are parts of his skin that may be pierced, and the arrows enter deep. On the sides of its two shoulderblades, and of its two thighs, are folds that hang loose, and appear at a distance like cloth housings dangling over it. It bears more resemblance to the horse than to any other animal. As the horse has a large stomach, so has this; as the pastern of the horse is composed of a single bone, so also is that of the rhinoceros; as there is a gumek" in the horse's fore leg, so is there in that of the rhinoceros. It is more ferocious than the elephant, and cannot be rendered so tame or obedient. There are numbers of them in the jungles of Pershâwer and Hashnaghar, as well as between the river Sind and Behreh in the jungles. In Hindustân too, they abound on the banks of the river Sirwû. In the course of my expeditions into Hindustân, in the jungles of Pershâwer, and Hashnaghar, I frequently killed the rhinoceros. It strikes powerfully with its horn, with which, in the course of these hunts, many men, and many horses,

1 About twenty feet.

8

The rhinoceros's horn was supposed to sweat on the approach of poison, a quality which fitted it, in a peculiar manner, for being made into a drinking-cup for an eastern king.

5 It is to the eye more like the elephant, or a huge overgrown hog.

6 A marginal note on the Tûrki copy, translates gumek, marrow.

3 The rhinoceros is now entirely expelled from the countries about the Indus.

7 The Gogra.

were gored. In one hunt, it tossed with its horn, a full spear's length, the horse of a young man named Maksûd, whence he got the name of Rhinoceros Maksûd.

falo.

Another animal is the wild buffalo. It is much larger than the common buffalo. Its Wild bufhorns go back like those of the common buffalo, but not so as to grow into the flesh. It is a very destructive and ferocious animal.

Another is the nîlgaû. Its height is about equal to that of a horse. It is somewhat Nilgaû. slenderer. The male is bluish, whence it is called the nîlgaû.' It has two small horns, and on its neck has some hair, more than a span in length,2 which bears much resemblance to the mountain-cow tassels. Its tail is like the bull's. The colour of the female is like that of the gawezin deer; she has no horns, nor any hair on the under part of her neck; and is plumper than the male.

cheh.

Another is the kotah-paicheh. Its size may be equal to that of the white deer. Its Kotah-paitwo fore legs as well as its thighs are short, whence its name-(short-legged). Its horns are branching like those of the gawezin, but less. Every year too it casts its horns like the stag. It is a bad runner, and therefore never leaves the jungle. There is another species of deer that resembles the male honeh or jîrân. Its back is Antelope. black, its belly white, its horns longer than those of the honeh, and more crooked. The Hindustânis call it kilhereh. This word was probably originally kalahern, that is (black deer), which they have corrupted into kilhereh. The female is white. They take deer by means of this kilhereh. They make fast a running-net to its horns, and tie a stone larger than a foot-ball to its leg, that, after it is separated from the deer, it may be hindered from running far. When the deer sees the wild kilhereh, it advances to it, presenting its head. This species of deer is very fond of fighting, and comes on to butt with its horns. When they have engaged and pushed at each other with their horns, in the course of their moving backwards and forwards, the net which has been fastened on the tame one's horns, gets entangled in those of the wild deer, and prevents its escape. Though the wild deer uses every effort to flee, the tame one does not run off, and is greatly impeded by the stone tied to its leg, which keeps back the other also. In this way they take a number of deer, which they afterwards tame. They likewise take deer by setting nets. They breed this tame deer to fight in their houses; it makes an excellent battle.

up

There is on the skirts of the mountains of Hindustân another deer which is smaller. Deer. It may be equal in size to a sheep of a year old.

6

Another is the gaû-kini; it is a small species of cow, like the larger kochkar (or Gaû-kini. ram) of our country. Its flesh is very tender and savoury.

The monkey is another of the animals of the country. The Hindustânis call it Monkey. Bander. There are many species of them. One species is the same that is brought to our countries. The jugglers teach them tricks. It is met with in the hill-country

1 Blue ox.

2 On the lower part of its neck is a thick circumscribed tuft of hair.-D. W. (For this and the succeeding notes marked D. W. I am indebted to David White, M.D. second Member of the Medical Board of Bombay, and well known for his botanical researches.)

3 Kitas.

* Short-legged.

This way of catching the antelope is still in constant use in India.

6

• Tugli ghalchen.

Mungoose.

Squirrel.

Its birds.
Peacock.

of the Dera (or valley of) Nûr, on the Koh Sefid, in the skirts of the hills in the neighbourhood of Khaiber, and from thence downward throughout all Hindustân. It is not found any higher up than the places I have mentioned. Its hair is yellow, its face white, its tail is not very long. There is another species of monkey, which is not found in Bajour, Sewâd, and these districts, and is much larger than the kinds that are brought into our country. Its tail is very long, its hair whitish, its face entirely black. They call this species of monkey langur,1 and it is met with in the hills and woods of Hindustân. There is still another species of monkey, whose hair, face, and all its limbs are quite black; they bring it from several islands of the sea. There is yet another species of monkey brought from some islands. Its colour approaches to a yellowish blue, somewhat, like the skin of the fig. Its head is broadish, and it is of a much larger size than other monkeys. It is very fierce and destructive.2

Another is the nol3 (or mungoose). It is a little smaller than the kish. It mounts on trees. Many also call it the mûs-khûrma. They reckon it lucky. There is another of the mouse species, which they call gilherî (the squirrel); it always lives in trees, and runs up and down them with surprising nimbleness.

Of the birds, one is the peacock. It is a beautifully coloured, and splendid animal. It is less remarkable for its bulk than for its colour and beauty. Its size may be about that of a crane, but it is not so tall. On the head of the peacock, and of the pea-hen, there may be about twenty or thirty feathers, rising two or three fingers' breadth in height. The pea-hen is neither richly coloured nor beautiful. The head of the male has a lustrous and undulating colour. Its neck is of a fine azure. Lower down than the neck, its back is painted with the richest yellow, green, azure, and violet; the flowers or stars on its back are but small; below, they increase in size, still preserving the same colour and splendour, down to the very extremity of the tail. The tail of some peacocks is as high as a man. Below these richly-painted feathers of its tail, it has another smaller tail like that of other birds, and this ordinary tail, and the feathers of its sides, are red. It is found in Bajour and Sewâd, and in the countries below, but not in Kuner or Lemghanât, or in any place higher up. It flies even worse than the kerghâwel (or pheasant), and cannot take more than one or two flights at a time. On account of its flying so ill, it always frequents either a hilly country or a jungle. It is remarkable, that whenever there are many peacocks in a wood, there are also a number of jackals in it; and as they have to drag after them a tail the size of a man, it may easily be supposed how much they are molested by the jackals, in their passage from one thicket to another. The Hindustânis call them mor. According to the doctrines of Imâm Abu Hanifeh, this bird is lawful food. Its flesh is not unpleasant. It resembles that of the quail, but it is eaten with some degree of loathing, like that of the camel.

1 The Baboon.

2 Baber adds,—it is singular, quod penis ejus semper sit erecta, et nunquam non ad coitum idonea.

3 A note on the Turki copy calls the nol, Rasu, which is the weasel of Tartary. Newâl is still the Hindustani name for the mungoose.

4 The palm-rat.

5 The kerghâwel, which is of the pheasant species, when pursued, will take several flights immediately after each other, though none long; peacocks, it seems, soon get tired, and take to running.

Another is the parrot, which also is found in Bajour and the countries below it. In Parrot. the Spring, when the mulberry ripens, it comes up into Nangenhâr and Lemghanât, but is found there at no other season. There are many species of parrot. One is that which they carry into our countries, and teach to talk. There is another species, of smaller size, which is also taught to speak. They call it the wood-parrot. Great numbers of this species are found in Bajour, Sewâd, and the neighbouring districts, insomuch, that they go in flights of five and six thousand. These two species differ only in bulk; both have the same colours. There is another species of parrot, which is still smaller than the wood-parrot. Its head is red, as well as its upper feathers. From the tip of its tail, to within two fingers' breadth of its feet, it is white. The head of many of this species is lustrous, and they do not speak. They call it the Kashmir parrot. There is another species of parrot like the wood-parrot, but a little less. Its beak is red; round its neck is a broad black circle like a collar. Its upper feathers are crimson; it learns to speak well. I had imagined that a parrot, or shârak, only repeated what it had been taught, and that it could reduce nothing into words from its own reflections. Abul Kâsim Jilâir, who is one of my most familiar servants, lately told me a remarkable incident. The cage of a parrot of this last-mentioned species having been covered up, the parrot called out," Uncover my face; I cannot breathe." On another occasion, when the bearers who were employed to carry it had set it down to rest themselves, and a number of people passed by, the parrot called out, "Everybody is going by, why don't you go on ?" Let the credit rest with the relater! Yet till one hears such things with his own ears, he never can believe them. There is another kind of parrot, of a beautiful red colour; it has also other colours. As I do not precisely recollect its appearance, I therefore do not describe it particularly. It is a very elegant bird, and learns to talk. It has one great defect, that its voice is particularly disagreeable, having a sharp and grating sound,' as if you rubbed a piece of broken china on a copper plate.

Another of the birds of Hindustân is the shârak, which abounds in the Lemghanât, Shârak. and everywhere lower down, over the whole of Hindustân. The shârak is of different species. One is that which is found in great numbers in the Lemghanât. Its head is black, its wings white; its size rather larger than the chughur, and slenderer. It learns to speak. There is another sort, which they call Pindâweli. They bring it from Bengal. It is all black. It is much larger than the other shârak. Its bill and foot are yellow. In its two ears are two yellow leathers, which hang down, and look very ugly. They call it the Meina. It learns to speak, and speaks well and fluently. There is another kind of shârak a little slenderer than this last. It is red round the eye. This kind does not talk. When I threw a bridge over the Ganges, and crossed it, driving the enemy before me, I saw in Luknow, Oud, and these countries, a species of shârak, which had a white breast, and a piebald head, with a black back. I had never seen it before. This species probably does not earn to speak at all.

'Perhaps the Loory.

2 The Persian has jil, which Wilkins says is a species of singing-bird.-Richardson's Dictionary.

3 Hunter calls it the Coracias Indica. See his Hindustani Dictionary.

4 The Persian adds,—“ they call it Wan-shârak” (the wild or wood shârak.)