THE ESTUARY 139 



offended, because they broke up the regular order of 

 flight in which they had arrived, and sailed round and 

 round for a short time, making remarks about me of 

 an uncomplimentary nature in their deep voices ; after- 

 wards they moved off in different directions, evidently 

 disgusted. 



They are strange birds, and although so dignified 

 when in the air, they will sometimes cut the most 

 ridiculous figure on the ground. I saw two of them 

 feeding once on this same island, and tried to see how 

 near they would allow me to approach ; I got to within 

 about fifty yards of them when they commenced to run, 

 spreading their wings out at the same time, and the 

 faster I ran the faster they ran. The bird on the far 

 side of me executed an extraordinary kind of dance at 

 the same time that it was running, taking two or three 

 quick steps and then a jump, as it looked at me over 

 the other bird's back ; seeing that I was gaining on 

 them slightly, they then floated off into the air and 

 sailed away. 



There were one or two of these birds in St. George's 

 Park at Port Elizabeth, and also some Kaffir Cranes, 

 and I once saw one of the Stanley Cranes, without the 

 slightest warning or apparent reason, suddenly execute 

 a kind of waltz round the Kaffir Crane, who seemingly 

 did not approve of dancing, as he eyed the proceedings 

 with a stony stare and then resumed feeding. This is 

 a well-known habit of the Stanley, or Blue Cranes, as 

 they are also called. 



Sometimes one of the large eagles, of which there 

 are many different kinds in the neighbourhood of 

 Knysna, would sail over the estuary, wheeling round 



