Flowery Plains and Bustards, 49 



We left our boat and the river and proceeded to ride across 

 a vast plain, covered with short, brown, sunburnt grass. 

 We had gone some distance when a great sheet of water 

 suddenly appeared in front of us. The sun was behind 

 us and covered with clouds, and the distance was remark- 

 ably clear. Miles beyond the water we could see trees 

 and houses, and further off still a low range of hills, all 

 of which were clearly reflected, while a large herd of cattle, 

 about a mile away, seemed to be standing knee-deep in the 

 water — so perfect was the reflection. 



We pointed it out to our men, but they laughed and 

 said there was no water for miles. " Nonsense," said we, 

 •'there it is; can't you see it?" They laughed again. 

 We took our binoculars, and still saw water clearly, but 

 the glasses showed it further away instead of nearer. We 

 rode towards our lake, but it receded and receded until it 

 disappeared altogether, and the burnt-up plain appeared 

 as dry and parched as before. 



On this plain were a number of sandgrouse. They 

 were very wild and difiicult to get near. Their sandy 

 colour harmonised so perfectly with the brown grass that 

 it was impossible to see them until they flew up and away 

 like rockets, and so we could not use the stalking horse to 

 approach them. However, several flocks allowed us to 

 come near enough for us to identify them — the black 

 bellied sandgrouse* by its black belly, which is very con- 

 spicuous when the bird is fljing, and the pin-tailed sand- 

 grousef by the long pointed feathers in its tail. 



At length we reached a great field, strongly fenced, and 

 overgrown with rank grass and weeds as high as our 

 horses' withers. Here we hoped to find the little bustard, | 



* Fterocles arenarius. f Pterocles alchata. J Otis tetrax. 



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