Ganges on a bundle of Castor-Oil Sticks.-The Death of the late Bishop Cotton.-The Government Gardens at Monghyr.-Large Vegetables.-Bright Flowers.— The Calabash Tree. - Chameleons.-The Chameleon Pir-pahar, or the Saints' Hill.-View from the top.— Horned Owls.-Stone Plovers.-Migrating Birds. — Pelicans.-Eagles.-Insects at Pir-pahar.-The Gular Fig.-European Artizans and Natives.-The sacred hot Spring at Sitakoond.-Pure drinking water.-The Sita- Destruction of Wild Beasts in India.-Scarcity of Game in Behar. The Tree Shrew.-Extraordinary combative Instinct.-Bears.-A Fight for a Cave.-Game Birds' struggle for Existence. Their numerous Enemies in Monghyr.-Scarcity of Food-yielding Fruits in the Forests.-Absence of Birds in the Forests.-Geology of the Kharakpoor Hills.-Iron Ore.-Former Trade in Hardware at Monghyr.-Monghyr compared with Birmingham. A Gun-smith's Shop. -Lead Ore. Slate. Timber found in the Hills. – Ebony. Monkey Island.-The Paradise Fly-catcher.-The Kabur Swamp.-Narrow escape from drowning.-Birds on the Swamps. Jacanas.- Purple Coots. Cormorants. — Abundance of Fish.-Myriads of wild Ducks.—The Goose-teal.-Water Plants.-Picnic on the Swamp.- The Sacred Island.-Monkeys.--Ascetics.-Ospreys.- Plants on the Island.--Fresh-water Sponges.--Abun- A Visit to Syria and Palestine on the way Home from India.-Jaffa.-The House of Simon the Tanner.- American Tourists.-Birds seen in Palestine.-Russian Pilgrims. Their Faith and Enthusiasm. The first sight of Jerusalem.-The Mount of Olives.-Distance lends Enchantment to the View.-Filthy state of the City. Journey to Jericho.-Bad Roads.-Jumping the Brook Chereth.-Bathing in the Dead Sea.-Bathing NATURAL HISTORY, SPORT, AND TRAVEL. CHAPTER I. The District of Monghyr in Bengal.-Separation of Species by the Ganges.-Population of the District.Checks to Population. The early History of Monghyr. -The bondmen Mushirs.-The Famine of 1873-74.The "Black Pamphlet."-Difficulty in getting correct Information regarding the Condition of the People. -The Famine Durbar held by the Prince of Wales at Patna. History of the Famine proposed by a native Gentleman.-Irrigation as a Preventive of Famine.Emigration. Timidity of the Natives.-Scene at the Kharakpoor Irrigation Works.-Apathy of the Natives led out to Execution.-Antiquities of Monghyr.-Search for reported buried Treasure. THE district of Monghyr, which consists of some four thousand square miles, is divided into two nearly equal portions by the Ganges. The northern part is an extensive plain formed 2. SEPARATION OF SPECIES. by the rich alluvial soil, brought down by the ever changing river, whilst the southern portion consists of vast rice tracts, and forests which cover the metamorphic hills, extending far away into Central India from the town of Monghyr, three hundred miles north-west of Calcutta. Lovers of natural history who visit Monghyr, find that this division of the district separates also in a very marked manner, the most conspicuous species of the animal and vegetable kingdoms; and the sportsman who to-day may find tigers, bears, baboons, tupaias, peacocks, jungle-fowl, and grey partridges, in the undulating country to the south, will look in vain for such things if to-morrow he crosses the river northward. The river separates also the most conspicuous trees and plants. In the forests of the south are found the ebony tree (Diospyros melanoxylon), the sál (Shorea robusta), the most useful of all Indian timber trees, and the Mahwa (Bassia latifolia) which supplies not only food to the lower classes, but also a hundred thousand gallons of spirit yearly to the drinking portion of the population. The south also yields vast quantities of rice, and a hundred and fifty tons of opium, grown VAST FLOCKS OF WILD FOWL. 3 on twenty-five thousand acres of land, whilst, after crossing the Ganges, little rice and not a single poppy will be seen. In the north nine-tenths of the trees are cultivated mangoes, whilst wheat, Indian corn, various kinds of millet, peas, Masur (Cicer lens) Rahar (Cytisus cajan), oats, indigo, mustard, linseed, and castor-oil, are the principal crops which the land-holders find profitable to grow. The northern portion of the district, also, during the cold weather, forms a vast feeding ground for swimming and wading birds. On some of the marshes a hundred thousand ducks may be seen, so close together that they almost hide the water; and as flock after flock pass overhead on being disturbed, the sound of their wings resembles waves breaking on a troubled shore. The seasons in Monghyr correspond nearly with those of Bengal proper. The rains set in about the middle of June, and subside about the 20th of October, during which time the 40 or 50 inches of rain which fall, so completely saturate the rich alluvial soil of the low-lying country, that an abundant cold-weather crop of wheat, barley, peas, &c., is often reaped in |