A TROPIC GARDEN 243 



Kiskadees splashed and dipped along the margin 

 of the water. Eveiywhere this species seems 

 seized with an aquatic fervor, and in localities 

 hundreds of miles apart I have seen them gradu- 

 ally desert their fly-catching for surface feeding, 

 or often plunging, kingfisher-like, bodily be- 

 neath, to emerge with a small wriggling fish — 

 another certain reflection of overpopulation and 

 competition. 



As I sat I heard a rustle behind me, and there, 

 not eight feet away, narrow snout held high, one 

 tiny foot lifted, was that furry fiend, Rikki-tikki. 

 He was too quick for me, and dived into a small 

 clump of undergrowth and bamboos. Eut I 

 wanted a specimen of mongoose, and the artist 

 offered to beat one end of the bush. Soon I saw 

 the gray form undulating along, and as the rus- 

 tling cam.e nearer, he shot forth, moving in great 

 bounds. I waited until he had covered half the 

 distance to the next clump and rolled him over. 

 Going back to my chair, I found that neither 

 jacana, nor gailinules, nor herons had been dis- 

 turbed by mv shot. 



While the introduction of the mongoose into 

 Guiana was a very reckless, foolish act, yet he 

 seems to be having a rather hard time of it, and 



