144 SOME BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



They had their favourite "killing blocks," one of 

 which was a solid stump with a sharp edge at its pro- 

 jecting end, concealed beneath the shade of the thick 

 bush which fringed the stream on one bank, the end of 

 this stump being more or less covered with fish-scales, 

 and here was sometimes to be found a small network of 

 fish-bones which had been thrown up by one of the 

 birds. The holes in which these Kingfishers nested 

 went into the bank of the stream for a distance of two 

 or three yards, and the eggs were said to be laid on a 

 nest of sea-grass, but as our informant on this subject 

 was a boy whom we very soon found to be utterly 

 untrustworthy in his statements, I refrain from attaching 

 any credence to this piece of information. Indeed, we 

 soon dispensed with the services of this youth, who 

 rejoiced in the pastoral name of David, though had we 

 been collecting information in a Pickwickian style, note 

 book after note book might well have been filled with 

 the most startling ornithological disclosures. At first 

 we thought his rudeness was some guarantee for his 

 honesty, for he was exceedingly brusque, and when we 

 offered him some of our lunch, as we often did, he 

 merely took it in his hand and walked away. We 

 asked him one day if he had no Dutch word for " thank 

 you." "What say"? he would reply. "What say"? 

 was his favourite expression, and became after a time 

 rather monotonous. One day he told us he knew of a 

 Secretary-Bird's nest. How far off was it? we asked 

 him. " Not so far," he replied. This again was always 

 a standing answer of his, no matter if the distance 

 were ten miles or only a hundred yards. He gave such 

 a graphic description of his visit to this same nest a 



