ObU MR. A. LOVERIDGE : NOTES ON 



of the birds. Sure enough, before I was within fifty yards of it, the 

 bird again arose and departed across the water. Its mate generally 

 fished near a stone some little way further along the bank, and 

 there I espied it ; the recognition was mutual, and it winged off 

 to a promontory where I could just distinguish it standing in 

 the water. 



In pursuance of my original intention, I now lay down in the 

 wet grass within range of the stone and here waited for half -a n- 

 hour until day broke behind a row of tall palms, which later 

 formed a lovely picture silhouetted against the rosy dawn. The 

 grass, however, was very short owing to the activities of the 

 Sanitary Corps, so that as the light increased, realising how 

 conspicuous I must soon appear, I crawled away to a shallow 

 irrigation ditch fiinged with longer grass and within range of 

 the buoy. Half-an-hour passed which the mosquitoes relieved of 

 all monotou}-. It was quite a new point of view to see them 

 arrive like so many vultures outlined against the sky, and then to 

 alight on the stems of grass which were already burdened with 

 dew. 



At 6 A.M., reveille sounded and someK.A.H. askai'is from a neigh- 

 bouring camp came down to wash clothes, but instead of taking to 

 flight at their approach, my heron, now clearly to be seen across 

 the shining water, sedatelj^ stalked further out. My patience well 

 nigh exhausted, I rose on one elbow, and, seeing how light it had 

 become, was on the point of giving up when another native came 

 down to the opposite bank, and as it appeared probable that he 

 would pass near the bird T resolved to wait a little longer and 

 crouched low again. 



A hoarse cry fi^om the Heron caused me to look up ; afar I 

 beheld the big bird rising from the water. Down I ducked, 

 face and hand well into the grass, not daring to move lest I 

 should attract attention. A few moments of anxious suspense, 

 then swish, swish, swish sounded its pinions close overhead, as it 

 circled round preparatory to alighting. Then came a gentle 

 splash as it struck the water. 



Yery cautiously I raised my head and looked through the 

 grass stems, where, not 40 feet away, stood my victim, sus- 

 piciously turning its head from light to left as it strode along. 

 Being cramped and stiff', I feared to raise my gun lest I should 

 muddle things, and the weary hours of waiting be wasted ; so 

 again I lay quiet until, in its walk, the bird should come into line 

 with the barrels of the gxin as it lay on the ground — bang ! 



Overhead a raucous squawk and the sound of wings ! What 

 then. Surely I could not have missed. Hastily and awkwardly 

 I rose to my feet. ISTo ! There lay the victim of my murderous 

 early rising floating quietly on the Avater, stone dead ; a shot had 

 passed through its neck and a single spot of blood showed on one 

 leg. It floated listlessly to and fro as I waded out to bring it in. 

 Far out towards the sea a speck in the sky was all that was to be 

 seen of the other bird, which, all unknown to me, had come up 



