DRESSER: THREE WEEKS ON THE GUADALoUl VI R. 23 



knew his business, proceeded slowly as if grazing, gradually working 

 towards the bird, the two men keeping well concealed behind it. 

 We had a black lurcher-cur with us, who was told to remain behind, 

 and who sat by me watching their proceedings with the greatest 

 interest. After some time they got within range, without disturbing 

 the bird, and the Colonel fired, killing the Flamingo. The moment 

 the shot was fired, the dog went off like a flash, dropping a piece of 

 meat I had just given him, and retrieved the dead bird. This dog, 

 by the way, though an ugly, lean cur, reminded me of the dogs 

 I used to see hanging about the wigwams of the Red Indians in 

 America, was a most useful beast, for he would crouch down or 

 sneak behind, when we were after shore birds, and was an excellent 

 retriever. Besides, he could find nests, and did so very often, but 

 once or twice I caught him helping himself to an egg on the quiet, 

 and he spoilt several clutches for us, but this was his only fault. 

 The old man was our greatest trial, for he was very deaf, which he 

 did not like to own, and his answers when spoken to were generally 

 far from the mark, besides which, he chattered incessantly. He was 

 moreover, too old to find nests, and would have found none but for 

 his dog. Towards evening, we rode leisurely back to the launch, 

 and on the way saw several Sand-Grouse, which, the old man told us, 

 bred hereabouts rather later in the season. When we arrived on the 

 river bank, we found the two younger men (who had been off in 

 another direction) awaiting us. They had one egg of the Marsh 

 Harrier, with an old bird, and five young in down, one old Purple 

 Heron (^Ardea purpurea)^ and four young in down, and one Marbled 

 Duck; but no eggs, except one Harrier egg, above referred to. 

 These men, if allowed, would pot every bird they met with, irrespec- 

 tive of season, and we had often considerable difficulty in preventing 

 them from shooting birds which were no use for food, and which we 

 did not want to skin. To-day, the sun had been very hot, but late 

 in the evening the clouds gathered, and during the night we had 

 torrents of rain. Towards morning it cleared, and when we got up 

 (9th May), it was quite fine again. The Colonel wanted to shoot an old 

 male Bustard, so we steamed off to a place where they are always to 

 be found, and going on shore with all hands, we walked through the 

 grassy prairie till we found Bustard, and tried a drive, without, how- 

 ever, any success, for, although we saw more than one flock of male 

 birds, they were far too wary to be approached, and could not be 

 driven within gun-shot of the Colonel, who was posted in a ditch, 

 well hidden amongst the dense herbage. After trying for some hours, 

 we decided to revisit the place where, a few days back, we found the 

 Stilt breeding, so we went back to the steamer and started, arriving 



Jan. 1890. 



