WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



For some hours the birds would not come near, 

 and even for the next day or two they were very timid 

 and suspicious ; but in course of time they regained 

 their confidence, and I was able to obtain several still 

 pictures as well as a good length of kinematograph 

 film. I also discovered that small frogs formed the 

 main source of the kingfisher's food supply, and I saw 

 the birds bring in several to the nest. 



The butterflies here were very numerous and 

 beautiful, and I collected a few specimens with a home- 

 made net, but unfortunately they were all spoilt 

 later on. 



To quote again from my diary : — 



Friday^ May 21st. — To-day we hired a small punt 

 and went out on the lake to have a try at the aquatic 

 birds, but found it useless as we could not get sufficiently 

 near them. As I am very keen on the matter, I went 

 to the boat-builder who had a workshop on the lake-side, 

 got him to make a kind of very big baby's chair, long 

 in the legs and having the feet connected with boards 

 to prevent them from sinking into the mud. This 

 contrivance I intend to use to sit on whilst in hiding 

 near the nests. 



Meanwhile I set some of the boys on the task of 

 making a kind of reed hut in sections, which could 

 be joined up at a few minutes' notice. 



The chair and reed hut being completed, we put 



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