THE WEAVER BIRD 



While the guide was away I spent my time ex- 

 amining this important water-hole which is known to 

 the natives by the name of Gama Gar. It is about 

 five miles in circumference, roughly circular in shape, 

 and is situated in a shallow depression. It is filled 

 with elephant grass and surrounded by dense acacia 

 bush, spiny euphorbias and a few large conifers 

 {^Juniperus procera). A small stream runs into it 

 from the west ; the water within the swamp was 

 about 3 inches deep, and the ground beneath very 

 soft and boggy. 



While here I obtained a few doves, a francolin 

 and some good specimens of the weaver bird's nest. 

 These nests are rather curious in shape, and are 

 generally to be found in small colonies, hanging down 

 from the branches of some thorn tree, having their 

 entrance at the bottom. In shape they resemble a 

 large pipe or chemist's retort, for attached to the 

 entrance, and forming a kind of tunnel, is a tube 

 about 1 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter, 

 made out of grass. Owing to the cloudy skies of the 

 last few days it had been impossible to take any 

 observations for latitude, but on the evening previous 

 to my departure from Gama Gar I had an unob- 

 structed view of the sky for a couple of hours, and I 

 was therefore able to fix the position of the place with 

 fair accuracy. When the guide came back he said 

 that the village was an hour's march away, and that 

 the Sultan had not yet arrived, but was expected on 

 the morrow. I therefore broke camp without any 

 regret, as the flies, mosquitoes and small red ticks 

 made life a perfect burden. The swamp, however, 

 was important geographically, and I was glad to have 

 had this opportunity of studying it. 



