::::::::se THE MARSHES OF CHAPALA m;::::::: 



breasts, glistening- as the drops of water rolled from 

 them ; while Scaup, Shovellers, Pintails, Blue-winged 

 and Cinnamon Teal were everywhere. When we actu- 

 ally rode into a pool full of these birds, they scrambled 

 or splattered a few yards aw^ay into the next swampy 

 place. 



Then the wonder of the White-faced Glossy Ibis ! 

 Not one flock of fifty, nor two, nor five, but dozens ; 

 now searching every leaf and reed along a solid front 

 of birds ten yards wide, now springing into the air 

 and curving unexpectedly back to the ground again. 

 They alone would have made the marshes a place of 

 birds. 



Surprises kept drawing us on and on, although the 

 shadows of the horses darkened the ground many 

 lengths ahead. Four Canvas-back Ducks sprang out 

 of a ditch overhung with turf, and hummed through 

 the air like bullets ; two tiny grebes left their wake on 

 the water for fifty feet before they could acquire im- 

 petus enough to rise. But we were told that the best 

 vista of all was still ahead, so, sitting upright, we put 

 our horses at a gallop, sending up ibises, ducks, bit- 

 terns, stilts, and herons, as the bow of a ship throws 

 the spray ahead of her. 



The guide pulled up suddenly and pointed ahead, 

 and we saw a misty, dun-coloured cloud slowly disen- 

 tanoflino- itself from the marsh. The glass showed 

 untold numbers of White-fronted Geese drifting slowly 



«4 119 ^ 



