290 
days of such work, I was able to see and 
collect a few of them. 
Still others, such as swifts, some birds 
of prey, hemipodes, quail, partridges, 
and snipe had to be shot on the wing. 
At this I was at that time far from 
expert, but even my moderate success 
failed 
never to surprise native wit- 
at 
Hadadah ibis, typical of forested river-banks 
nesses. They would grin, and then cover 
their mouths with the hand, later to 
deliver speeches on the strong arm or 
sharp eye of the white man. They 
themselves never think of shooting an 
arrow at a flying bird, and the few of 
them who possess old muzzle-loading 
guns would not risk powder or caps on 
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
such a hazard, so they have little idea 
how it is done. 
Among the water birds the elusive fin- 
foot or sun-grebe (Podica) caused me a 
good deal of trouble. Traveling along 
the Ituri River in native dugouts we 
would occasionally come upon them, 
usually singly, swimming close to the 
shore. One_ bird 
to four days’ jour- 
ney was about the 
average frequency. 
The long stiff tail 
lies on the water 
and the back is so 
nearly immersed 
that little can be 
seen except the 
head and the neck. 
On sighting us, the 
finfoot wouldeither 
make straight for 
shore or fly ahead 
some distance, 
dropping into the 
water, to swim 
ashore and hide in 
the bushes. From 
this concealment it 
was sometimes im- 
possible even for 
several boatmen 
working together 
to drive it out 
again, although 
with luck it would 
return tothe water, 
scuttling off with a 
noisy patter of feet 
Balancing oneself upright 
on the bow of a small canoe in such 
pursuits as these is often a ticklish per- 
formance. 
Nightjars, owls, and other nocturnal 
birds with their mysterious habits tempt 
one to evening strolls. Two species of 
the nightjars (Macrodipteryx) have a 
like a coot. 
