TWO KINDS OF PLOVER 175 



Knysna, and apparently regretting his previous be- 

 haviour, it appeared that he had been doing a little 

 nest-hunting on his own account and had succeeded in 

 rinding the nest of a rather rare Woodpecker, which he 

 told us had laid two black eggs in a hole in a tree ; the 

 bird itself, from his representation, was a most brilliant 

 creation, possessing apparently all the colours of the 

 rainbow. His description of this bird aroused our 

 interest, and we made an appointment with him, so that 

 he should call for us at such and such a time on the 

 following morning. " How far was it"? we asked him. 

 " Oh, not so far," he replied in his characteristic manner. 

 I could not quite make him out, he seemed better pleased 

 with himself than usual, and was quite smartened up. 

 He had not left us more than two or three minutes 

 when he returned to the door and said he wanted to 

 speak to us again. It seemed this time he had come 

 to tell us that the coloured ball was to be held that 

 night, and he was very anxious to attend it, but the 

 fact was he happened to have no money in his pocket, 

 and as he could not go to the ball without money he 

 wanted to know if we would advance him the shilling 

 or two that he would have earned by showing us this 

 nest, to enable him to go. With our previous expe- 

 rience of him we ought perhaps not to have yielded to 

 his persuasions, but we decided to risk being imposed 

 upon rather than deprive him of the evening's enjoy- 

 ment, so with assurances that he would come at the 

 appointed hour, he departed. Ten o'clock on the fol- 

 lowing morning arrived, but no David ; however, it w r as 

 early yet ; but when eleven o'clock came and still there 

 was no sign of him we began to wonder. Possibly he 



