378 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



Purple Gallinules '^ and Cayenne Wood Rails ^^ were 

 seen every day but were not abundant. A pair of the latter 

 were nesting near the island and well merited their native 

 name of Killicow, screaming a confused chorus of syllables 

 resembling these for five minutes at a stretch every morning. 



Among the smaller marsh birds, Jacanas '^ easily held 

 first place, both in numbers and in action and voice, day 

 and night. About every half hour through the day a group 

 of these birds would set up a wild and frantic clacking, 

 sounding as if a dozen hens were being pursued and had 

 about given up all hope of escape. This was usually caused 

 by the appearance of a crocodile, large or small, from beneath 

 the lily pads. All the Jacanas within sight would gather at 

 once and dance excitedly about on the surrounding pads 

 until the pestered reptile sank again into the muddy waters. 

 Several times we saw trios of these birds in play or combat, 

 each holding the wings spread low and in front, ready to 

 strike with the sharp spurs or to protect their own body by 

 the buttress of feathers. They are very graceful in all their 

 motions, holding the wings straight upward for a few seconds 

 after alighting. 



This being practically a treeless region, the birds were of 

 necessity either terrestrial, aquatic or aerial, and the latter 

 formed a not inconsiderable percentage. Terns were one 

 of the most picturesque features of the savanna, flving over 

 and around the island in small flocks, the large Great-billed 

 fellows " with black caps and wings, and the tinv Eye- 

 browed species '° reminding one of our Least Tern. Both 

 beat back and forth, or hung fluttering over the lagoon, 

 and now and then dropped plummet-like after a small 

 fish. 



The Swallows were legion — six species in all, forever swoop- 

 ing over the marsh or snatching sips of river water as they 

 flew. The Variegated "" were the most beautiful, and we 



