278 A NATURALIST IN BORNEO 



sawed the head of the pigeon nearly off, but the bird 

 was already at its last gasp, and verily I believe that 

 it died before the knife touched it ; still, orthodoxy 

 was satisfied. As we drew near to the river-mouth 

 we saw that the receding tide had uncovered a few 

 isolated sand-spits, and some of these were covered 

 with flocks of Curlew, Whimbrel, Godwits, Sandpipers, 

 and other birds of like kind, all busily engaged in 

 searching for their supper. The crew were told to 

 paddle without letting the shafts of the paddles touch 

 the gunwale of the canoe, for the " chunking " of the 

 paddles is a loud sound that carries a great distance 

 over water; we stealthily drew nearer one of the 

 most densely populated sand-spits until Cox was 

 enabled to wade on to it ; then, doubling his burly 

 form in a vain endeavour to elude the observation of 

 the already suspicious birds, he progressed like some 

 grotesque bear until he was within range, when he 

 fired a right and left into the flock. Scores of birds, 

 so densely had they been packed, fell to the shots, and 

 the remainder flew screaming in wide curves round 

 and about us. Black thunderclouds were rapidly 

 coming up in the south-east, and as the wheeling 

 squadrons of birds were seen against the dark back- 

 ground they appeared of a beautiful silvery-white, and 

 then, as they circled round between us and the sun, 

 their shining appearance vanished and they became 

 black silhouettes against the orange and gold of the 

 sunset sky ; it was a beautiful sight that I could have 

 watched for hours, but the curves of the screaming 

 squadrons grew larger and larger, and soon they 

 vanished from sight. I have few if any sporting in- 

 stincts myself, and the destruction of animals for the 



