Bird Life in Dutch Marshes 263 



boatman very (|uifkly <>()t into my ways and understood 

 what Mas wanted. 



Tlie eliief difficulty at tirst was to make liini understand, 

 when it was necessary for me to wait in conceahncut at a 

 nest in order to photograph tlie ])ird itself, tliat lie was 

 wanted to go right away, and to stop away until lie was 

 called. Xothing is more annoying, when engaged in this 

 work, after waiting for hours, half broiled by the sun, oxer 

 waist-deep in stagnant water, and covered o\'er with wet 

 reeds, just at a critical moment, when you are expecting 

 the bird you hiive waited so long for, to hear yom* boatman 

 pottering about close to and preparing to come to you. 

 These are the occasions when the ignorance of the language 

 makes itself felt, and when you feel as if you would like 

 to know some of the stronger adjectives in local use in 

 order to do full justice to yoin- feelings. 



On one occasion he failed to come when I did want 

 him. Though I shouted till I was hoarse, he did not appear, 

 and I began to wonder what had become of him. The water 

 was generally so deep, and the bottom so soft and uncAen, 

 that I hardly liked being left alone ; and if anything had 

 happened to my boatman when in such a situation, unable to 

 move a yard without getting over my head, and encumbered 

 with a hea^y camera and wading-trousers, the result might 

 have been decidedly unpleasant. If I stopped there for a 

 week, there would be no chance of anybody coming within 

 hail. In this case I was able, luckily, after a time to wade 

 in the direction in which I thought he had gone, and 



