IN THE LAND OP THE BORA. 121 



moon at the time, and every evening the local 

 sportsmen were bang-bang-ing away till midnight 

 or later, a proceeding which greatly puzzled me. 

 On inquiry I was told that they were shooting 

 fuligiiii, which they called with a whistle, and 

 potted at about four yards' range. I could not 

 conceive what the birds in question were, being 

 told that they were black, very fat, and good 

 eating, and also that they sold for fourpence 

 apiece. At last I got to see one, and lo ! it was 

 a common bald coot ! They must have nearly all 

 been at the seaward end of the marsh, for higher 

 up I did not see one a week. Hawks there were 

 in plenty, large and small. Of the former one 

 kind appeared to spend the day beating the rushes, 

 from which habit I should have put it down as a 

 harrier, were it not that it was as big as a buzzard, 

 or nearly so. 



These waters are unmercifully stake-netted * 

 whenever a shower makes them thick enough, 

 but nevertheless I have no doubt that an angler 

 would get plenty of sport here. I saw one native 

 with a canoe half full of fish. The species was 

 unfamiliar to me, but one would have scaled 

 twelve pounds at least. 



Cattle and ponies get their living floundering 

 about in the marsh. Of the latter one can only 

 say that they are better than the miserable 

 * Stake-nets are forbidden within three miles of the sea. 



