70 PHRA RAM MAKES 



and about the size of the dove, against which mur- 

 derous thoughts ever arose on sight. It had a 

 brown body and wings spotted with black, black 

 and white striped head, with a white ring about 

 its neck, red bill and red eyebrows. 'Twas not its 

 appearance that disturbed, but its voice and its 

 habit. In the jungle whenever we came upon 

 fresh game tracks, we were almost sure imme- 

 diately after to hear this bird set up its distracting, 

 incessant cry. Like the teru tero of South Amer- 

 ica it is commonly called the sentinel of the jungle ; 

 and an alert sentinel it is that sounds its warning 

 note on the slightest suggestion of man's approach. 

 Luckily it does not penetrate deep into the jungle. 

 Occasionally we came upon a yellow morning- 

 glory-shaped flower with black centre; and now 

 and then in open grassy spots I nearly stepped on 

 a tiny, blue and white thing growing close to the 

 ground and resembling the forget-me-not. Imme- 

 diately about us at all times, butterflies of exquisite 

 and varied coloring fluttered irregularly, uncer- 

 tainly, everywhere. Strangely, in this land of 

 tropical extravagance as to foliage, birds and but- 

 terflies, there should be no handsome varieties of 

 wild grass. Variety in bushes, however, is not 

 lacking in Siam; they grow in all sizes and shapes, 

 bearing every kind of thorns, differing in pattern 

 perhaps, but all fashioned to hold whatever has 



