THE SUDD 265 



reward the watching" gun. Instantly a charge of dust- 

 shot searched the spot. Startled at unwonted report, 

 a second warbler might so far lose its head as to show 

 in flight ; but ere flying many yards, it too would be cut 

 down by the second gun, astern. Now, to recover these 

 prizes. The first (if killed at all) must be lying within 

 6 feet of the water's edge ; the second near 30 yards 

 inshore. Both are retrieved ; but only at the end of an 

 hour of such work as beggars words to convey. The first 

 step overboard is knee-deep into viscid filth ; at the second, 

 some submerged mass of rotting vegetation turns over 

 on its axis and Gallap plunges sidelong in mephitic bog. 

 Meanwhile Baraka, who had boldly made for the outer 

 bird, is in serious difficulties up to his shoulders and 

 Abdul is hastily despatched to push an oar within his 

 reach. All this, mind you, happened within the first 

 minute of struggles and dangers that endured for an hour. 

 Here is one extract from diary : 



"February 24. This evening, cruising in pinnace along 

 and within the swamp-jungle, Lowe and I had the luck, 

 by "calling," to secure three more of those elusive snuff- brown 

 Locustellae more secretive than crakes or "snipers." What- 

 ever they are, they are silent in evening, only singing early ; 

 yet to-night these three victims responded to the " call." We 

 also shot two of the unknown sedge-warblers ^Acrocephali" one 

 of each size), besides a fantail and an isabelline shrike. The 

 amount of mud-wallowing and "sump-swimming" in recovering 

 these seven birds may be imagined." 



Even when shot dead, the victim falls into, and often 

 cannot be found amidst tangled masses of canes and 

 swamp -vegetation (dead, dying, or viciously alive); 

 besides, unless recovered at once, the prize is seized 

 and carried off by coucals. These bush-cuckoos 

 (Centropus monackus) are fearless of man and snatch 

 his hard-earned prize when almost within his grasp. 



Despite these drawbacks, we finally secured a series 

 of specimens of both species. For us, they differed 



