284 IN MALAY FORESTS. 



the spot where the stirred - up mud marked the 

 course taken by the wounded animal, Manap groped 

 in the shallow water to find it with his paddle. He 

 touched it once, but another dying effort enabled it 

 to wriggle into deeper water where the paddle could 

 not touch bottom. We had therefore to leave it, 

 and after marking the spot with a pole paddled on 

 again. 



There were birds on every side: kingfishers of 

 several species, some as big as jackdaws (one of them 

 cursed with a maniac laugh), the smallest a purple 

 gem, even smaller and more resplendent than the 

 brilliantly - coloured bird of the English rivers. On 

 the mud were padi-birds a species of crane, the 

 perfect and absolute whiteness of whose plumage 

 was in as strong contrast with the sombre back- 

 ground as the blue of the tiny crabs. With bowed 

 neck and abstracted mien, a marabout stork took 

 long slow strides in search of incautious fish. Brown 

 Brahminy kites wheeled in circles overhead. Then, 

 in our silent approach, we disturbed a sea -eagle: 

 sitting in a mangrove - tree on the water's - edge, it 

 allowed us to approach within a few yards before 

 it deigned to fly. As it launched itself forth from 

 the tree it dropped down a foot or two before its 

 powerful pinions had sufficient spread to bear the 

 weight of the heavy body. Then it flapped slowly 

 in front of us over the surface of the mud -banks. 

 Suddenly, as if to show that it was not afraid of 

 us, it let drop two enormous taloned legs and seized 

 a luckless fish ; crooked claws and curved beak met, 

 and without a break in the flight the captive was 



