THE FORESTS OF KORDOFAN 



119 



Presently something distinctly bigger hove in sight 

 ahead. It was a great wart-hog boar slowly strolling 

 through the open woods towards us. Baraka and I, 

 though quite exposed, at once stood stock-still, and the 

 boar rooted and rambled past within 40 yards and never a 

 suspicion of our presence reached him. The Paradox gun 

 was in hand and those splendid curving ivories a terrible 



WART-HOG BOAR South of Melut, January 26th, 1914. 



temptation ; but this is " Sanctuary " and all evil thoughts 

 were summarily suppressed. As the question has been 

 argued, I took the opportunity to observe how the wart- 

 hog carries his tail. All the time he remained within 

 sight, the tail was held vertically upright, though the 



rising at my feet. Certain weaver-birds had eggs all through January 

 and February ; but, as we failed to secure the parents (a butterfly-net 

 would have been more servJteable than a gun as the tiny birds dropped, 

 like frightened mice, from their pendent nests into the deep grass below), 

 the specimens are valueless. These eggs were pure white and about the 

 size of those of willow-wren. 



