302 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



yellow beak. Both kinds migrate in search of food, 

 and if they can be caught on the line of flight will 

 cause the expenditure of all the cartridges that one is 

 likely to have in stock. The spotted pigeon is 

 essentially a woodland bird and at times comes to the 

 Mau Forest in huge numbers in search of a particular 

 berry. Large bags are then occasionally made by the 

 farmers in the neighbourhood and the sport is very 

 fascinating. The green pigeon is more often to be 

 met with on the belts of trees which edge most streams, 

 and in scattered clumps. When the fruit of the wild 

 fig trees is ripe the presence of the green pigeon is 

 pretty certain, and a bag can be made. When flushed 

 it dives off the tree like lightning and affords pretty 

 shooting. A larger bag, however, can usually be 

 made by lying in wait near a favourite tree and send- 

 ing natives round to disturb the birds feeding in 

 neighbouring woods. Green pigeons are good to eat 

 but bad to digest. 



Snipe are a migrant, and one which, unfortunately, 

 has not been too plentiful of late years. There are at 

 least three varieties : the double, the painted, and the 

 common. Snipe may be found at certain seasons in 

 the year in nearly all swampy grounds and round the 

 edges of lakes and marshes. There is a small piece of 

 boggy ground at the back of the military lines in 

 Nairobi which is a pretty sure find after the rains. 

 Londiani used to have a very good reputation for 

 snipe, but lately this has not been sustained. As is 

 well known, the warmer the climate or weather the 

 straighter and easier snipe fly, and this rule holds good 

 in the various parts of the Protectorate. As a 

 comestible, however, the snipe never fails. The 

 largest bag I can trace is about thirty couple. 



