ground with stones. Along the other side of the net, for half its width, they fasten a stick some 3 to 4 yards long. The hidden bird-catcher holds this stick and by it, when the birds approach, lifts up the net to its full height. The birds then go into the net of themselves. Sometimes so many are taken by this contrivance that there is not time to cut their throats.1
Though the Ala-sai pomegranates are not first-rate, they have local reputation because none are better there-abouts ; they are carried into Hindustan. Grapes also do not grow badly, and the wines of Ala-sal are better and stronger than those of Nijr-au.
Badr-au (Tag-au) is another buluk ; it runs with Ala-sal, grows no fruit, and for cultivators has corn-growing Kafirs.2
(/. Tribesmen of Kabul?)
Just as Turks and (Mughul) clans (aimdq) dwell in the open country of Khurasan and Samarkand, so in Kabul do the Hazara and Afghans. Of the Hazara, the most widely-scattered are the Sultan-mas'udi Hazara, of Afghans, the Mahmand.
{g. Revenue of Kabul.)
The revenues of Kaoul, whether from the cultivated lands or from tolls (jamghd) or from dwellers in the open country, amount to 8 laks of shdhrukhis?
(h. The mountain-tracts of Kdbuj.)
Where the mountains of Andar-ab, Khwast,4 and the Badakhshanat have conife.s (archa), many springs and gentle slopes, those of eastern Kabul have grass {aut), grass like a beautiful floor, on hill, slope and dale. For the most part it is buta-kdh grass {aut), very suitable for horses. In the Andijan country they talk of buta-kdh, but why they do so was not known (to me ?) ; in Kabul it was heard-say to be because the grass comes
' bughuzlarigha fursat bulmas; i.e. to kill them in the lawful manner, while pronouncing the Bi'snii'llah.
This completes the buliiks of Kabul viz. Badr-au (Tag-au), Nfir-valley, Chaghansarai, Kama and Ala-sai.
3 The rupi being equal to 2$ shahrukhis, the shihrukhl may be taken at \od. thus making the total revenue only j£33>333 6.r. 8d See Ayin-i-akbari ii, 169 (Erskine). u 4 sic in all B.N. MSS. Most maps print Khost. Muh. Salih says of Khwast,
Who sees it, would call it a Hell " (Vambery, p. 361).
