Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/84

 76 PAR away into the earth and be lost; they average about three feet deep, but are practically of no use for navigation or transport. Wild animals. It is hardly to be expected that there should be many wild animals in a district so highly cultivated; nevertheless wolves stiil exist in the ravines and grass nálas, and frequently commit depreda- tions on the flocks of the shepherds. Their numbers are yearly diminishing, and, with the continuance of the imperial grant for their destruction, will , soon become a thing of the past. During the last ten years 256 wolves have been destroyed, while the total sum paid in rewards has amounted to Rs. 740. For a full-grown animal from Rs. 3 to 6 are allowed, and for a cub Re. 1 only. Of enemies to cultivation may be mentioned the nil-gáe, wild cattle, pig, andmonkeys. These last are to be seen in most large groves, and owing to the prejudice against killing them entertained by the Hindus, their numbers remain constant. They are exeeedingly mis. chievous, and their devastations extend from the time the seed is put into the ground until it is ripe for the sickle. Níl-gáe, wild cattle, and pig are almost entirely confined to the grass or kachhár lands on the borders of the Ganges. They occasion very considerable damage in those villages which are within a distance of 5 or 6 miles from the river, and travelling as they do in large herds, a night's work is often attended with serious loss to the cultivator. Snakes are not numerous. From January, 1865, to the end of 1869, only 255 appear to have been killed for the Government rewards, which amounted to Rs. 56-13-0. Game.--There is a fair sprinkling of small game in the Partabgarh dis- trict, consisting principally of the hare, pea-fowl (Pavo cristatus), grey partridge (Ortigornis pontisviana), common spipe (Gallinago gallinula), large grey or European quail (Coturnix coromandelica), the bush quail (Perdicula combryensis), together with several varieties of geese and ducks. The black partridge (Francolinas vulgaris) is a comparatively rare bird, and is to be found chiefly in the sarpat and kása grass along the banks of the Ganges.